Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths each year.

The Government is committed to supporting the most vulnerable and at risk from alcohol misuse and takes a wide-ranging approach to addressing harms. As part of the NHS Long Term Plan, we have an ambitious programme to establish specialist Alcohol Care Teams in the 25% hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol dependence-related admissions, alcohol-mortality, and deprivation. This is estimated to prevent 50,000 admissions over five years.

As part of the Government’s 10-year drug strategy, local authorities are receiving a record £516 million additional investment through to 2024/25 to improve drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services. This funding is in addition to the Public Health Grant and will improve the capacity and quality of drug and alcohol treatment. This funding is being targeted to areas of highest need first. This funding is in addition to local authorities’ expenditure on substance misuse services from the Public Health Grant.