§ 40. Sir A. WILSONasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the increase of convictions for drunkenness reported to have been due to the drinking of methylated spirits in England and Wales from an average of 497 cases for the years 1920 to 1933 to 596 cases for 1932 and 683 cases for 1933; whether legislative or other action is contemplated; and what has been the result of the experiment which was initiated on the 15th March last with the object of rendering surgical spirit undrinkable?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir John Gilmour)As regards the first two parts of the question, I am aware that the figures of convictions have increased in recent years, but I would point out that in 1933 they amounted to less than 2 per cent. of total convictions for drunkenness. No special action in the matter, so far as England and Wales are concerned, is at present contemplated by the Government. As regards the last part, no information is as yet available to indicate the effect of the new denaturant.
§ Miss HORSBRUGHIs it not the case that a conviction would not be applicable to methylated spirit drinking unless the bottle were found on the person charged, and that there are a great many more of these cases than have been scheduled?
Viscountess ASTORIs it not true that there has been a theory that as long as beer was expensive people had to drink methylated spirit; and is it not true that with a 20 per cent. increase in drunkenness convictions there is an increase also of methylated spirit drinking?