Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2025 to Question 92263 on Low Alcohol Drinks: Children, whether he made an assessment of the potential impact of 16 and 17 year olds visiting licenced premises on drinking patterns in later life.

The existing legal position set out in Section 150(4) of the Licensing Act 2003 seeks to achieve a balance that allows parents to introduce their children to alcohol in a controlled, measured, and responsible way, if they wish to do so, whilst upholding the licensing objective to protect children from harm. The legislation also requires licensed premises to have a robust age verification policy in place, and there are a large number of offences that the police can use to tackle under-age drinking where necessary.

Consumption of alcohol by children and young people can be harmful, with health risks including acute alcohol poisoning, an increased risk of becoming involved in violence, and damage to the developing brain and liver. Evidence shows that early age of drinking onset is associated with an increased likelihood of developing alcohol abuse or dependence in adolescence and adulthood.