← Back to Westminster Hall Debates
Children of Alcoholics
26 November 2025
Lead MP
George Freeman
Mid Norfolk
Con
Responding Minister
Dr Zubir Ahmed
Tags
NHS
Word Count: 4381
Other Contributors: 4
At a Glance
George Freeman raised concerns about children of alcoholics in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The APPG seeks to launch a campaign across both Houses of Parliament to address the issues faced by children of alcoholics. The group aims to raise awareness and seek support from all parties to take forward this work during this Parliament.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Nearly 2.5 million children live with one or both parents suffering from serious alcohol dependency or abuse. This issue drives many children into responsibilities too young and often results in them developing habits such as lying for their parents to protect them, which no child should have to learn.
Gareth Snell
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent Central
Shared a powerful personal story related to the impact of parental alcoholism on children.
The hon. Member shared a personal story about growing up as a child carer to an alcoholic parent and the electrifying impact of entering Parliament, emphasizing the importance of support networks for children in such situations. He also pointed out that issues related to alcohol addiction are not just confined to inner-city areas but are prevalent in rural regions as well.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Across Northern Ireland, there are approximately 40,000 children living with parental alcoholism. He suggests that health visitors should routinely screen parents for alcohol dependency to protect the children in the home. Contributed thoughtful insights and concerns regarding the effects of parental alcoholism in his constituency.
Rachael Maskell
Lab/Co-op
York Central
She highlights the importance of screening pregnant women for foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, noting its prevalence is now higher than autism at 4% and there is currently no screening programme. Offered perspectives on supporting children whose parents have alcohol problems, highlighting the importance of early intervention and support services.
Government Response
Dr Zubir Ahmed
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Government Response
Reassures colleagues about Government's focus on raising the healthiest generation of children in history. Confirms the roll-out of Best Start family hubs from April next year, providing high-quality services for parents in communities where alcoholism is prevalent. The Government also confirms giving vulnerable families better access to local support services through a £2.4 billion funding programme over three years. We are committed to reducing stigma, improving the quality of treatment, and making support available to every woman who needs it. The Government is piloting local approaches to reduce stigma among healthcare professionals, will publish clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment including advice for pregnant women and parents, and are finalising a co-occurring mental health and substance use delivery framework to improve integration at a national level. Additionally, we plan to publish guidance on how treatment providers can better support women and work with local commissioners to ensure specific needs of pregnant women and parents are considered in drug and alcohol treatment commissioning plans. We have announced an investment of £13.4 billion over the next three years for local authorities’ public health work, including a total of £1 billion of drug and alcohol treatment grants. Our strategy is based on Best Start family hubs and the Families First Partnership programme to ensure parents in alcohol treatment services also receive vital parenting and family support.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.