Alcohol

Lord Strathclyde Excerpts

Thursday 2nd February 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Harrison]

My Lords—

[The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde)]

My Lords, perhaps we can hear from my noble friend Lord Taverne and then from the other Benches.

[Lord Taverne]

My Lords, the Sheffield University report to NICE in 2010 pointed out the extreme importance of price rises. It came to the conclusion that a 10 per cent price rise would, among other things, reduce hospital admissions by something like 50,000 a year, crimes by something like 96,000 and absenteeism from work by something like 500,000 per annum. Very similar huge social benefits would also come from introducing a minimum price. Does the Minister agree that price rises are probably the most important single weapon in dealing with this social matter?

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Massey of Darwen]

My Lords—

[Lord Strathclyde]

My Lords, there is time for both noble Lords. Perhaps we may start with the noble Lord, Lord Imbert.

[Lord Imbert]

In the light of the 60,000 alcohol-related calls answered by the London Ambulance Service alone and the 18,500 alcohol-related crimes of violence in London alone in one year, does that not mean that we should introduce a compulsory alcohol sobriety testing scheme which magistrates can use to sentence in order to reduce this awful number of offences?