Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to include tackling the advertising of alcohol to children in the upcoming alcohol strategy.

The alcohol strategy is being coordinated by the Home Office and the Department of Health and Social Care.

Advertising in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority, the industry’s independent regulator, who enforce the Advertising Codes through a system of self-regulation and co-regulation with Ofcom. The Codes apply to all media, including broadcast and online, and set standards for accuracy and honesty to which advertisers must adhere, including specific conditions on advertising to children, causing offence and social responsibility. The Codes also currently state that alcohol advertising must not be targeted at people under 18. The Codes are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure they remain effective.

The Portman Group also provides a Code to the alcohol industry on Naming and Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks, which includes that drinks should not have a particular appeal to under-18s.