Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the increase in alcohol consumption in the north of England during the covid-19 outbreak.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities found that consumption of alcohol in the North increased for higher risk drinkers during periods of lockdown, as compared with periods of no restrictions in place. The overall percentage of people in the North who reported drinking within the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines of 14 units per week reduced and the latest data available shows this change has maintained. The latest data as of November 2021 shows that the number of non-drinkers had increased in the North, compared to pre-pandemic levels.