HL Deb 07 September 2004 vol 664 cc144-5WA
Lord Stoddart of Swindon

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the costs to the National Health Service of the abuse of alcohol, including binge drinking. [HL3955]

Lord Warner

The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit's interim analytical report (published on 19 September 2003) indicated that the estimated cost of alcohol misuse to the National Health Service in England is up to £1.7 billion per year.

Lord Stoddart of Swindon

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their estimate of the social costs of the abuse of alcohol in (a) England and Wales; (b) Scotland, and (c) Northern Ireland. [HL3956]

Lord Warner

The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit's interim analytical report published 19 September 2003 estimated that the cost of alcohol related harms in England was around £20 billion per year.

The detailed costs were set out in a paper on the Economic costs of alcohol misuse which is available from the web site at: www.number10.gov.uk/output4498.asp. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own strategies for tackling alcohol misuse.

In Northern Ireland, the report, Reducing Alcohol Related Harm in Northern Ireland estimated that, in 1997–1998, the last year for which costs are available, the social costs to the health and personal social services amounted to £26.8 million per year.