Lord Strathclyde
Main Page: Lord Strathclyde (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)Department Debates - View all Lord Strathclyde's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(12 years, 6 months ago)
Lords ChamberMy Lords, perhaps we can hear from my noble friend Lord Taverne and then from the other Benches.
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?
My Lords, there is time for both noble Lords. Perhaps we may start with the noble Lord, 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?