Alcohol Policy UK

Further developments in Scotland's action on alcohol misuse

The Scottish Government last month released a strategic document outlining proposals to reduce alcohol misuse. The document is titled Changing Scotland's relationship with alcohol: a discussion paper on our strategic approach' and follows an announcement earlier in the year of £25 million for alcohol misuse.

Scotland has also recently launced the alcoholdebate.com site, an interactive website exploring a range of health and social issues linked to alcohol.

Scotland proposes ban on under 21s purchasing alcohol

A controversial action plan is expected to be launched this week by Scotland's Justice Secretary, Kenny McAskill, raising the legal age of purchasing alcohol from off-licenses and supermarkets to 21. Under 21s would still be able to purchase alcohol in pubs and bars, but the move is aimed to reduce the availability and misuse of alcohol by young people.

However, the New Scotsman reports significant controversy regarding the proposals, particularly from the industry that claimed the move would 'demonise and mystify' alcohol for young people.   The move is reportedly linked to the apparent success of a pilot scheme in West Lothian, which was linked to significant reduction in alcohol related violence and disorder. Along with the increase in the age limit, the Justice Secretary will also reportedly propose setting minimum prices for alcohol and banning three-for-two and buy-one-get-one-free deals. A recent Times article looks further at the proposals and possible implications.

The new tough line may be defended by the Scottish government's announcement earlier in the year that they would invest £25 million in the screening, prevention and treatment for alcohol misuse.

Youth Alcohol Action Plan published

From the DCSF press office:
A comprehensive plan to stop young people drinking in public; help them make the right decisions about alcohol; and provide clear information to parents and young people about the risks of early drinking was announced today by Ed Balls, Jacqui Smith and Alan Johnson in the Government’s Youth Alcohol Action Plan.

The Action Plan sets out what the Government will do to address drinking by young people in three main ways:

• Working with police and the courts to stop it, making it clear that unsupervised drinking by young people under-18 in public places is unacceptable
• Recognising that drinking by young people in the home is clearly the responsibility of parents and families, but providing clearer health information for parents and young people about how consumption of alcohol can affect children and young people. The Action Plan announces that the Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson will produce clear guidelines for families
• Working with the alcohol industry to continue the good progress made to reduce the sale of alcohol to under-18s but also in marketing and promoting alcohol in a more responsible way.

While the proportion of young people who drink regularly has fallen, the consumption of alcohol by those who do drink has risen sharply. And the ways in which young people are drinking have changed. The Youth Alcohol Action Plan promises a powerful package of action to tackle this:

• New laws to stop young people drinking in public places, including a new offence to tackle persistent possession of alcohol
• New authoritative guidelines from the Chief Medical Officer about young people, alcohol and health
• Establishing a new partnership with parents by providing them with clear information they need to guide their children towards low risk drinking
• Supporting and encouraging young people themselves through publicity campaigns and education in schools to make the right decisions about alcohol.

Scepticism over alcohol awareness messages as national campaign launches

A number of reports and medical professionals have recently raised further questions over the effectiveness of campaigns warning against the risks of excessive drinking. A recent BBC story announced that campaigns have 'the wrong focus' as they do not recognise the harm being caused from older drinkers at home as they highlight only the risks of young binge drinkers.

A Guardian article also warned that binge drink scare tactics 'do not work', citing research from the University of Bath. Dr Andrew Bengry-Howell  has called for the government to take a more realistic approach to communicating messages around alcohol:

'A more sensible approach would be to say to people, "We know you are going to drink to get drunk, so make sure you do not do it very often",' said Bengry-Howell. 'Or helping them to plan a night out so that it is safer, or suggesting they drink soft drinks in between alcoholic ones. Not just lecturing them about the number of units, because the guidelines are so low.'

Today the launch of the government's national alcohol harm reduction campaign which continues the previous Know Your Limits campaigns, with a shift in focus to people drinking at home.  TV ads will start tonight; see one of them at the Guardian, here.

World Health Assembly to discuss alcohol

Ministers from all over the world will discuss the health burden of alcohol at the World Health Assembly on 14-23 May. This follows EU targeted alcohol work after two European Commission reports on alcohol in Europe, highlighting:

• Alcohol is public health enemy #3, behind only tobacco and high blood pressure, and ahead of obesity, lack of exercise or illicit drugs
• Many people suffer due to someone else’s’ drinking – including 5-9 million children living in families damaged by alcohol and the 10,000 ‘innocent’ deaths that occur to bystanders or passengers from drink-drivers
• Alcohol is also estimated to cost Europe €125 billion – equivalent to over €650 for every household each year

This also follows the recently released report Binge Drinking in Europe produced by the Institute of Alcohol Studies

Minimum pricing for alcohol? The debate hots up..

As Government ministers consider options for setting minimum prices on alcohol, the debate is hotting up amongst the industry and public alike as to whether such a move would make any difference, or is  politically acceptable. This month the Daily Telegraph suggested that preparations to bring in minumum pricing are underway.  However it understood that minsters are still only considering such options and awaiting further reviews as to the effectiveness and impacts of such policies.

The government would be required to make an exception to the Competition Act of 1998 which would require "exceptional and compelling reasons for public policy". The Office of Fair Trading has indicated that this would be possible given the extent of alcohol realated harm in the UK and the criticism surrounding supermarkets for continuing to sell alcohol as 'loss leaders'.  Naturally the idea is not short of critics.  Rehearsing the familiar arguments against price rises, Gavin Partington of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association, in an artcicle published in Off license News said:

“If pricing was an issue then why aren’t there more problems in other countries with lower taxes on alcohol?

We’ve never denied there’s a problem with alcohol abuse, but it’s a minority of people. The vast majority, who drink sensibly in the comfort of their own homes, should not be punished.”

A page on the BBC website titled Should there be a minimum price for alcohol? also attracted a large volume of comments with a wide range of views.

 

Alcohol Concern report: The extent of local alcohol commissioning?

Alcohol Concern have released The Poor Relation - has the emphasis on 'localism' really improved alcohol commissioning, which sets out the findings from Freedom of Information requests asking PCTs for data on a number of key alcohol spend indicators including:

• Spend on alcohol treatment  for 07/08 (and whether the £15 million Choosing Health money was used locally or not)
• Data on waiting times for accessing alcohol treatment
• The percentage of dependant drinkers in treatment
• Whether trusts had any information about hazardous, harmful and dependant drinkers

Nearly 40% of the trusts were not able to return the questionnaire but the report provides a compelling analysis of the extent of investment into alcohol treatment and of the changes to commissioning structures and the devolving of decisions to local level.  The report points out that 'MoCAM and other Department of Health related guidance have not improved alcohol commissioning or treatment provision at the local level.'  There is still a 'postcode lottery' concerning alcohol treatment, with huge variations in spend and provision across the country.

  The report recommends that:

• the local Pooled Treatment Budgets (for drug treatment) should include the funding of alcohol treatment where required in addition to existing PCT or local authority alcohol spend
• the Department of Health should set an optimum level of access for alcohol treatment, reducing the current national average of 1 in 18 to around 1 in 7
• the Department of Health should consider requiring local commissioners to reduce alcohol treatment waiting times to those for drug treatment, since alcohol treatment data must now be submitted to the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS)
• PCTs should make better cases for investment in alcohol treatment
• Strategic Health Authorities should ensure their local PCTs are meeting local alcohol treatment needs through key agendas and commissioning structures including Standards for Better Health

National Indicator set definitions released

The definitions for the National Indicators have been released by the Department for Communities and Local Government.  Definitions are provided for the 198 National Indicators, 185 of which came into force on the 1st of April 2008.  Local Strategic Partnerships should by now know which indicators they will set as key improvement targets (up to 35) as part of their Local Area Agreements (LAAs).

The new national indicators will be the only means of measuring national priorities that have been set  by the Government.  For alcohol, the key indicators are as follows:

• NI 39 Alcohol-harm related hospital admission rates
• NI 41 Perceptions of drunk or rowdy behaviour as a problem
• NI 115 Substance misuse by young people

A further indicator is associated with alcohol:

• NI 20 Assault with injury crime rate

However alcohol factors into many of the other indicators, with at least another 50 having a direct link with alcohol misuse.  Local partnerships are urged to consider the role of alcohol within their LAAs and key improvement targets. 

For further information on LAAs and the new frameworks for Local Strategic Partnerships see this overview and Alcohol Concern's LAA Factsheet here.

Seminar on alcohol licensing and drinking culture

A seminar entitled Alcohol Licensing: café culture or city centre chaos? takes place next month on the 7th May in Enfield to look at the debates around current licensing policy and its impact. The seminar will consider a range of research including the recently released report Implementation of the Licensing Act 2003: A National Survey which closely examines the findings of national research on the impacts of the licensing act. This follows the recent  review of the 2003 licensing act.

The National Survey report broadly supports the review in finding that there has not been a consistent impact across the country, and there has been little significant change for better or for worse. However, the National Survey provides a detailed analysis of the challenges and responses facing local authorities and the policy and cultural context of the changes, as well as providing a range of recommendations.

More details

• Middlesex University Criminology Research Centre seminar series
• Alcohol Licensing: café culture or city centre chaos? Betsy Thom, Professor of Health Policy
• Time: 4.30 - 6pm on May 7th
• Venue: Enfield Campus, Queensway, Enfield EN3 4SA; Broadbent Building, room 52

Alcohol Concern: new CEO

Don Shenker, former Director of Policy and Services at Alcohol Concern has been appointed as Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern following the resignation of Srabani Sen.  Don has long experience in the alcohol field, including at ARP, Rugby House Turning Point and the Street Drinking Network and has consistently fought for resources and attention for alcohol work.  Many congratulations Don, we wish you well.