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 the effect of the ban on below-cost sales of alcohol on alcohol-related hospital admissions since the introduction of that ban.

The Department commissioned an evidence review from Public Health England (PHE) on the public health burden of alcohol, which was published in 2016. This report was a comprehensive review of available evidence, which included the availability of alcohol and its impact on various socioeconomic groups. The report is available to view online at:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583047/alcohol_public_health_burden_evidence_review.pdf

No specific assessment has been made on the effect of the ban on below-cost sales of alcohol on alcohol-related hospital admissions since its introduction. However the PHE review estimated that the ban has prevented 14 deaths and 500 alcohol-related admissions to hospital per annum.