Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department undertook an assessment of the potential impact on alcohol harm of the measures on alcohol duty announced in the Chancellor's statement on Growth Plan on 23 September 2022, before those measures were announced.

At the Growth Plan the Chancellor announced the next steps in the alcohol duty reforms and a freeze to all alcohol duties from 1 February 2023.

For the first time, we are taxing all beverages in proportion to their alcoholic strength. This will help address harmful products like ‘white’ ciders and strong fortified wines, which are often cited by health groups as being abused. We are also reducing the tax burden on lower ABV products, encouraging consumers to switch and manufacturers to expand their offering of products in this range.

We are mindful of the impact on businesses and growth, and have aimed to strike a pragmatic balance between public health and the economic impacts on consumers and industry.