Asked by: Lord McColl of Dulwich (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prevent domestic violence associated with drugs and alcohol use in homes with children.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
We know that there is a correlation between domestic abuse and substance misuse, but domestic abuse is not caused by substance misuse.
This government is determined to safeguard victims by disrupting the behaviour of perpetrators through perpetrator interventions. The Home Office is investing £74.5 million (until March 2029) for the Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund.
Perpetrators’ misuse of drugs and alcohol must be addressed to ensure domestic abuse interventions are efficient. This government continues to invest in local treatment and recovery systems with over £3.4 billion ringfenced through the Public Health Grant to help ensure that those with drugs and alcohol problem can access support. Through this investment and partnership working across health, criminal justice, safeguarding, and domestic abuse services, we are supporting individuals and families to reduce harm, support recovery, and improve outcomes for children and families.
In England, the Families First Partnership programme is rolling out reforms to family help, child protection and family group decision making to keep children safe. The programme is backed by £2.4 billion over three years. These reforms will help rebalance the system of support away from crisis intervention and towards earlier help, ensuring children and families, including those experiencing domestic abuse and/or substance misuse, are able to access the right support at the right time.
Asked by: Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru - Caerfyrddin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of updating the Licensing Act 2003 to reflect the growth of online alcohol delivery services and potential associated risks of alcohol related harm.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. It is already an offence under the Act to knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk or underage.
Consumer alcohol purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services. The Department for Health and Social Care, which has responsibility for policy on health harms, and the Home Office are looking at how current licensing rules apply to these services to ensure these are effective.
This includes engaging with experts, people with lived experience, and other stakeholders, and assessing emerging evidence on the impact that this may be having on health outcomes and on the effective promotion of the licensing objectives. I chaired a roundtable in June on this issue, jointly with the then Minister for Public Health and Prevention, and we are now determining our next steps, including engagement with delivery companies.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment the Treasury has made of the annual economic cost of alcohol harm in England identified by the Institute of Alcohol Studies in 2024, and what measures are being considered to tackle this.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government remains committed to supporting people to lead healthier lives and looks at a wide range of evidence on the impacts of alcohol-related harm
Alcohol-related harm places pressure on individuals, families, communities and public services, including the NHS, and we are taking action to address this.
As outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Department of Health and Social Care is working towards launching a consultation in late 2026 on options to make it a legal requirement for alcohol labels to display health warnings and consistent nutritional information, which will support people to make healthier choices about alcohol.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce annual societal cost associated with alcohol-related crime and disorder.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. The primary purpose of the Act is to ensure the four statutory licensing objectives are upheld: the prevention of crime and disorder; public safety; the prevention of public nuisance; and the protection of children from harm. As such, the Act plays a vital role in reducing alcohol related crime and disorder.
Alongside this, police forces are delivering the commitments contained in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. Every force across England and Wales has now published an anti-social behaviour plan and has a named and contactable ASB lead dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally. Forces have also increased patrols in town centres and other key locations based on local demand and intelligence.
The Government recognises the significant harm that alcohol use can cause to individuals, families and communities and the impact this can have on crime and disorder. Addressing this is a key priority for this Government and ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’ commits to some crucial steps to support people to make healthier choices about alcohol. From 2026, all drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery funding will be channelled through the Public Health Grant, with over £13.45 billion allocated across three years, including £3.4 billion ringfenced for drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery. This is the first multi-year settlement in over a decade and provides local government with greater certainty to plan and invest over the medium term.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the alcohol harm paradox highlighted by the Health Survey for England 2024; and what targeted healthcare interventions are being provided to address this.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 June in response to Question 3696.
Asked by: Shivani Raja (Conservative - Leicester East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what strategy her Department has put in place to ensure public health outreach regarding alcohol harm reaches multi-faith communities in constituencies such as Leicester East.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 June in response to Question 3696.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department currently estimates the cost of alcohol harm to be in a) England, b) Wales, c) Scotland and d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No such recent estimate has been made, and, as a devolved responsibility, it is not the Department’s role to assess the impact of alcohol harm outside England.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data the Department holds on enforcement operations against retail premises suspected of selling illicit tobacco products or non-compliant nicotine products in each of the last three years, including the number of (a) premises searched, (b) arrests made, and (c) premises closed, broken down by (i) England and Wales, (ii) West Sussex, and (iii) Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes estimates of the tobacco tax gap, including revenue lost through the illicit trade in cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, in the annual Measuring Tax Gaps publication. The latest tax gap figures are available for 2024 25 tax year.
HMRC does not routinely collect or publish data on the number of retail premises suspected of selling illicit tobacco products. Although HMRC records information on illicit tobacco investigations, those investigations are not routinely categorised by linked criminality type.
HMRC recognises that the illicit tobacco trade is linked to organised criminality and can cause significant social and economic harm to local communities. HMRC works closely with law enforcement partners to target and disrupt organised crime groups involved in the illicit tobacco supply chain. The joint HMRC and Border Force strategy, Stubbing out the problem, published in 2024, sets out the government's approach to reducing demand for illicit tobacco and tackling the organised crime groups that dominate the market.
HMRC publishes annual outputs for tackling tobacco smuggling on GOV.UK, including data for 2025–26. Detail on outputs from Operation CeCe, our joint initiative with Trading Standards to tackle illicit tobacco at local retail level, can be found in the 2025-26 Annual Report and Accounts.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answers provided to UIN 128189, UIN 107092, and UIN 84365 for more information.
Data is not produced for localised geographical areas and therefore is not available for West Sussex or for the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data the Department holds on investigations involving illicit tobacco or nicotine products in which there were also suspected links to (a) drug trafficking, (b) modern slavery or human trafficking, (c) fraud, and (d) money laundering in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) England and Wales and (ii) West Sussex.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes estimates of the tobacco tax gap, including revenue lost through the illicit trade in cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, in the annual Measuring Tax Gaps publication. The latest tax gap figures are available for 2024 25 tax year.
HMRC does not routinely collect or publish data on the number of retail premises suspected of selling illicit tobacco products. Although HMRC records information on illicit tobacco investigations, those investigations are not routinely categorised by linked criminality type.
HMRC recognises that the illicit tobacco trade is linked to organised criminality and can cause significant social and economic harm to local communities. HMRC works closely with law enforcement partners to target and disrupt organised crime groups involved in the illicit tobacco supply chain. The joint HMRC and Border Force strategy, Stubbing out the problem, published in 2024, sets out the government's approach to reducing demand for illicit tobacco and tackling the organised crime groups that dominate the market.
HMRC publishes annual outputs for tackling tobacco smuggling on GOV.UK, including data for 2025–26. Detail on outputs from Operation CeCe, our joint initiative with Trading Standards to tackle illicit tobacco at local retail level, can be found in the 2025-26 Annual Report and Accounts.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answers provided to UIN 128189, UIN 107092, and UIN 84365 for more information.
Data is not produced for localised geographical areas and therefore is not available for West Sussex or for the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data the Department holds on the number of retail premises suspected of selling illicit tobacco products or non-compliant nicotine products in (a) England and Wales, (b) West Sussex, and (c) Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency; and how many of those premises are suspected of links to organised crime groups.
Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publishes estimates of the tobacco tax gap, including revenue lost through the illicit trade in cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco, in the annual Measuring Tax Gaps publication. The latest tax gap figures are available for 2024 25 tax year.
HMRC does not routinely collect or publish data on the number of retail premises suspected of selling illicit tobacco products. Although HMRC records information on illicit tobacco investigations, those investigations are not routinely categorised by linked criminality type.
HMRC recognises that the illicit tobacco trade is linked to organised criminality and can cause significant social and economic harm to local communities. HMRC works closely with law enforcement partners to target and disrupt organised crime groups involved in the illicit tobacco supply chain. The joint HMRC and Border Force strategy, Stubbing out the problem, published in 2024, sets out the government's approach to reducing demand for illicit tobacco and tackling the organised crime groups that dominate the market.
HMRC publishes annual outputs for tackling tobacco smuggling on GOV.UK, including data for 2025–26. Detail on outputs from Operation CeCe, our joint initiative with Trading Standards to tackle illicit tobacco at local retail level, can be found in the 2025-26 Annual Report and Accounts.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answers provided to UIN 128189, UIN 107092, and UIN 84365 for more information.
Data is not produced for localised geographical areas and therefore is not available for West Sussex or for the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.