Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the report <i>Four Nations – How Evidence-based are Alcohol Policies and Programmes Across the UK?</i> published in November by the Alliance for Useful Evidence<i>, </i>and if so, what lessons they have drawn for their own plans to reduce alcohol-related harm.

We have noted the report. It misrepresents the Government’s position on minimum unit pricing and health as a licensing objective. Minimum unit pricing will remain under review whilst we monitor carefully the legal developments and the implementation of this policy in Scotland. We have consulted on health as a licensing objective and will continue to look at its feasibility.

Our assessment of alcohol-related harm is that it costs society over £21 billion per year. To address this we will build on the 2012 Alcohol Strategy to tackle alcohol as a driver of crime and support people to stay healthy, while working with partners at a local and national level to reduce the impact of alcohol misuse.