Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take fiscal steps to prevent the sale of high-strength ciders at low prices in supermarkets; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of preventing those sales on levels of alcohol harm.

Under our Health Mission, the Government is committed to prioritising preventative measures to support people to live longer, healthier lives. As part of this, the Government is considering carefully what further action is needed to address alcohol-related harms.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced an increase in alcohol duty in line with inflation on all non-draught products, alongside a cut in duty rates for lower strength products sold on draught. This decision balanced cost-of-living pressures on people who drink moderately and responsibly with the need to tackle increasing alcohol-related deaths and economic inactivity.

Reforms to alcohol duty made in 2023 increased duty on cider over 4.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Further, duty on cider now increases with product strength, such that the production and sale of lower strength cider is incentivised within the duty system.