Alcohol Policy UK

Government consultation on airport alcohol sales

The Home Office is seeking evidence on 'alcohol-related disruptive behaviour at our airports and the impact airside alcohol licensing could have on reducing this problem'. Consultation document here [pdf].

The aim of the consultation is to allow the government to assess:

• the true scale of the problem of drunk and disruptive passengers at international airports in England and Wales
• the extent to which airports and airlines use effectively the existing statutory powers and other measures to address the problem
• the impact of these interventions as well as the proposed application of the Act

Licensing figures 2018 & Home Office consultation

The Home Office have released 2018 statistics on alcohol and late night refreshment licensing in England and Wales, showing a further small but consistent rise in the total number of licensed premises. The release also includes a short consultation [pdf] on the statistical bulletin.

As seen in recent years, a further small rise of 1,100 (1%) in the total number of licensed premises (212,800) has been recorded since last year. In addition to total premises licenses, figures also show in March 2018 there were:

Can duty cuts save pubs? Lobby groups target 2018 budget

Its no secret that pub numbers have been in decline for decades, but less clear is the role duty and tax policies may have played. Ahead of the 2018 budget, a number of industry-led campaigns have again been vying for the Chancellor's attention in calling for freezes on alcohol duties.

However as seen in the run up to previous budgets, questions over who really gains and who loses from alcohol duty freezes have been raised, with some stating that cuts or freezes actually harm pubs. Whilst clear or publicly available evidence may be lacking, some have pointed out that cuts and freezes to beer duty have seen falls in supermarket prices, but actually rises in pub prices. During the duty escalator period of 2008-2013 (for beer) the rising gap between pub and supermarket beer prices appeared to have been halted, as put forward in an IAS briefing on 'The rising affordability of alcohol' [pdf] and seemingly supported by evidence on tax changes in a 2012 RAND report.

Findings bulletins: IBA in primary care update, MUP impact on low income groups, licensing outcomes, sexual minority harms

Recent bulletins from the Findings drug and alcohol bank: 

Review finds that brief alcohol advice in relatively normal primary care practice reduces drinking

Update of a key document forming the basis of claims that brief interventions work in ‘real-world’ settings. Combined findings from randomised trials confirm that brief advice in primary care can reduce drinking; now the issue is whether in normal practice those benefits will be realised on a grand enough scale to create public health gains.

Could low income areas experience the greatest health benefits of a minimum pricing policy?

News & updates July 2018: flying and boating; University AA, alcoholocks, marketing & more

Selected media stories since the June update:

A government-backed campaign to prevent inebriated passengers from boarding airplanes is being rolled out at ten airports – Gatwick, Stansted, Birmingham, East Midlands, Manchester, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Southampton, Bristol and Newcastle. The One Too Many initiative, where passengers will see warnings about alcohol consumption posted on digital display screens, will be shown in duty-free shops and leaflets handed out by the police. Telegraph

NUS Wales president Gwyneth Sweatman said Cardiff University's successful Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings means they should be rolled out across all universities, reports the BBC. An AA trustee said the number of younger attendees at meetings was rising each year. However Professor Tony Moss Tweeted the article missed two important points; firstly that not all alcohol problems are dependence, and secondly that AA is just one form of support drinkers might seek.

News & updates January 2018: airports, labelling 'awareness vacuum', young people, Newcastle MUP

Selected media stories since the November roundup: 

Restrictions on the sale of alcohol at UK airports could be introduced in an effort to reduce the number of drink-related rage incidents on planes. Airports are currently exempt from legislation governing when they can sell alcohol. The Home Office says passengers should be able to enjoy their holidays without having their flight disrupted by "a small minority of people". It is expected to begin assessing the impact of implementing the Licensing Act 2003 on airside premises in a few weeks. BBC

“A tale of two cities”: Is local variability in alcohol policy a virtue or a vice?

In this guest post, John Mooney, a Senior Lecturer in Public Health at the University of Sunderland, explores the findings and potential lessons from a recently published case study research project exploring two differing approaches to local alcohol strategies.

There is no doubt that the transfer of public health (PH) teams back to local authorities (LAs) in England held considerable promise for addressing the “so-called” wider determinants of health that underpin so much of modern complex public health priorities [1]. Indeed many PH teams have enthusiastically embraced the opportunities to work with colleagues to explore how existing ‘policy levers’ such as in housing standards or using the planning system to restrict fast-food takeaways [2] can be genuinely informed by public health aspirations and insights.

News & updates November 2017: minimum pricing green light, research in the news, alcohol free wines & more

Selected media stories since the October round-up:

Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland

Big alcohol policy news in November came with the Supreme Court's judgement to allow minimum unit pricing (MUP) in Scotland. As the Guardian put it: The UK supreme court has backed the Scottish government’s plans to introduce a minimum price . After a five-year legal battle against the plans led by the Scotch Whisky Association, the court ruled that minimum pricing was legal on health grounds under EU law. The seven judges unanimously agreed it was “a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”. See our coverage here and an Alcohol Concern explainer here.

Government response to 2017 House of Lords licensing committee report

Earlier this month the Government published its response to the House of Lords Select Committee report on the Licensing Act 2003 released earlier this year.

Whilst the Government's response describes the Lords report as 'making an important contribution towards where and how the Act can be improved', it rejects many of the recommendations including a call for a fundamental overhaul of the Act.

What's behind declining licensing reviews? Expert opinions

We recently reported on the 2017 statistics on alcohol licensing, speculating as to why the number of premises called to review has declined more than 50% since 2010 when recording began.

Whilst top level licensing figures may not be the most valuable source of information about changes taking place around alcohol retailing practices and the Night Time Economy (NTE), such a significant drop against a modest rise in total licensed premises is intriguing.

Below we highlight comments on the possible reasons from some selected experts involved in licensing or the trade.