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Alcohol Harm
25 November 2021
Lead MP
Derek Thomas
Debate Type
General Debate
Tags
No tags
Other Contributors: 7
At a Glance
Derek Thomas raised concerns about alcohol harm in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
The hon. Member for St Ives notes the grave harm caused by excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol addiction, highlighting a record number of alcohol-specific deaths in 2020. He calls on the Government to commission an independent review of alcohol harm. Derek Thomas emphasises the need for systematic change to protect vulnerable individuals and communities from alcohol-related issues, including support for those with FASD, increased funding for treatment services, tackling stigma, and introducing measures such as minimum unit pricing and advertising restrictions.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
The hon. Member for Strangford commends the debate on alcohol harm, noting record-high figures of alcohol deaths in Northern Ireland, England, and Wales. He agrees that the current Government strategy is not working and calls for change.
Liam Byrne
Lab
Birmingham Hodge Hill
Emphasises the importance of acknowledging the impact of parental alcoholism on children, sharing personal experiences including the challenges faced while nursing his father during his final days. He discusses the work done since 2016 through NACOA and highlights the need for a strategy to combat the harm caused by alcohol, noting that there is currently no such strategy in place despite rising admissions for alcohol-related issues and budget cuts at local authority level. Calls for measures like minimum unit pricing on alcohol, better support for families affected by alcoholism, and education on the dangers of excessive drinking.
Alex Norris
Lab Co-op
Nottingham North and Kimberley
I commend the hon. Member for St Ives on securing this debate and highlight the importance of addressing hidden harms like foetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The NHS bears a significant burden, with over 1 million hospital admissions related to alcohol annually. Alcohol-related deaths have risen by 20% in recent years. Nottingham saw an all-time high of 25,000 hospital admissions due to alcohol before the pandemic. The Minister is urged to commit to a national prevalence study on FASD and address funding cuts to alcohol treatment services which have worsened during the pandemic.
Derek Thomas
Con
St Ives
Led on this important debate highlighting the serious harm caused by excessive drinking, including increased alcohol-specific deaths. Emphasised the need for population-level measures to address the issue.
Maggie Throup
Lab
Central Bedfordshire
Acknowledged the importance of addressing alcohol misuse and highlighted government initiatives such as £80 million investment in treatment services, development of comprehensive UK guidelines, and support for children affected by parental addiction. Emphasised ongoing work on a new drugs strategy that will also benefit those with alcohol dependency.
Dan Carden
Lab
Liverpool, Walton
Acknowledged but did not contribute due to personal circumstances.
Liam Byrne
Lab
Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North
Asked the Minister about the timeframe for an addiction strategy and highlighted differences between drug and alcohol addiction, noting one is legal and the other illegal.
Government Response
Government Response
Acknowledged significant harms caused by excessive drinking and highlighted government initiatives such as £80 million investment in treatment services. Emphasised ongoing work on a new drugs strategy that will also benefit those with alcohol dependency.
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