An All Party Parliamentary Group on Alcohol Misuse (APPG) manifesto has been released, urging political parties to adopt ten key alcohol policies ahead of the 2015 election. See reports from the BBC, Guardian, Telegraph and Alcohol Concern, who researched the report.
The report's recommendations cover key areas such as policy, licensing and local strategy approaches, largely reflecting responses to reducing alcohol misuse and harms called for by health bodies including NICE. Last year a coalition of over 70 health organisations from across the UK released an independent alcohol strategy with similar recommendations.
The policy level calls are somewhat at odds with the current Coalition Government alcohol policy which infamously u-turned on minimum pricing. The report calls also call for mandatory labeling requirements for health warnings rather than the current voluntary agreements as part of the Responsibility Deal, and calls for further legislative changes around licensing and minimum pricing.
A lowering of the drink drive limit is also called for by the APPG. In 2011 the Coalition announced it would not be lowering the limit despite an independent report advising a reduced 50mg limit, arguing it would save hundreds of lives and bring the level in line with most of Europe. The Government press release said the focus would instead be on "improving enforcement and education to tackle the drink and drug drivers who put lives at risk."
Earlier this year it was reported a Labour Government elected in 2015 would implement some of the same measures, including minimum unit pricing and ending sports sponsorship by alcohol companies, according to leaked documents.
The full ten recommendations in the report are:
1. Make reducing alcohol harms the responsibility of a single government minister with clear accountability
2. Introduce a minimum unit price for alcoholic drinks
3. Introduce public health as a fifth licensing objective, enabling local authorities to make licensing decisions based on local population health need and the density of existing outlets
4. Strengthen regulation of alcohol marketing to protect children and young people
5. Increase funding for treatment and raise access levels from 6% to 15% of problem drinkers
6. Commissioners should prioritise the delivery of Identification and Brief Advice. Identification and Brief Advice should be delivered in a wide range of different settings including health care, involving GPs routinely asking questions, and in-workplace programmes
7. Include a health warning on all alcohol labels and deliver a government-funded national public awareness campaign on alcohol-related health issues
8. For all social workers, midwives and healthcare professionals, introduce mandatory training on parental substance misuse, foetal alcohol syndrome disorder and alcohol-related domestic violence
9. Reduce the blood alcohol limit for driving in England and Wales to 50mg/100ml, starting with drivers under the age of 21
10. Introduce the widespread use of sobriety orders to break the cycle of alcohol and crime, antisocial behaviour and domestic violence
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