Alcohol Strategy

Pat Glass Excerpts

Friday 23rd March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Pat Glass (North West Durham) (Lab)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The two remaining Members who wish to ask a question could compete with each other to see which is the briefer.

[Mrs May]

I absolutely reassure my hon. Friend of that. The law-abiding majority have nothing to fear from these proposals.

[Pat Glass (North West Durham) (Lab)]

I thank the Home Secretary for the positive remarks that have been made this morning about Durham constabulary and about the Best Bar None scheme. I recently spent some time with Durham constabulary on a Friday night, targeting under-age drinking, and I personally poured out 11 litres of cheap vodka that was taken from 13 and 14-year-olds, having been purchased by older young people and by parents, not necessarily from off-licences, but from supermarkets. This is an extremely serious issue, but I am disappointed by the way the statement has been rushed out this morning. If it was so important, why was it not brought out properly in the Budget on Wednesday?

[Mrs May]

This would never have been brought out in the Budget because this is a cross-Government strategy which deals with a variety of issues that are not matters for the Budget. The hon. Lady is right to say what an important issue this is. That is why the Government have been working across Departments to produce for the first time a comprehensive strategy which, I hope—it is the intention—will deal with the sort of problem that she has rightly raised and recognised.