Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jim McGovern and Anne Milton

Tuesday 29th June 2010 Commons Chamber

[Nia Griffith (Llanelli) (Lab)]

10. What plans his Department has for health warnings on labels of alcoholic drinks.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Anne Milton)]

A public consultation on options for improving health information on the labels of alcoholic drinks closed on 31 May. The responses to that exercise are now being analysed, and we will set out our plans for next steps through announcements in the coming months.

[Jim McGovern]

I welcome all those on the Government Front Bench to their new posts. The tobacco health warning regime introduced by the previous Government has produced excellent results in improving the health of our citizens. Does the Minister believe that a parallel scheme for alcohol would achieve similar progress and benefits?

[Anne Milton]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his warm words of welcome. It is important to note that sometimes such warnings are not transferrable between products. As he rightly says, there have been a number of initiatives on smoking that have, without doubt, had an impact on the number of people who smoke and the number who have given up. Whether those are transferrable to alcohol we do not yet know, but we will be looking at all the evidence available.