Alcohol: Sale to Children

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top Excerpts

Wednesday 19th November 2014 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

I think that the noble Lord is referring to liqueur chocolates.

[Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Lab)]

My Lords, is not the issue that there was a general consultation, which asked, “Do you have any ideas for deregulation?”. That is how, on licensing, the idea of deregulating liqueur chocolates came into being. That is the issue and the truth. The truth is that the idea of carrying out this precise measure was never put to anybody else. Health authorities would probably never even dream that somebody would be daft enough to include that in the Deregulation Bill.

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

I totally agree with the first part of the noble Baroness’s question, which she put very clearly—it was all part of the Licensing Act and general deregulation. As I said, there has been no response from health authorities on concerns over chocolate confectionery, but it was covered by the general strand of restricted goods.