§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the relationship between alcohol sales in supermarkets and under-age drinking in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonBoth the 1986 survey on adolescent drinking conducted by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and the 1987 report of the working group on alcohol and young people chaired by Baroness Masham identified under-age drinking as a major problem, and off-sale premises—including supermarkets—as a significant source of supply for under-age drinkers.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he issues any guidance on the enforcement of the law against sale of alcohol to under-age drinkers in Scotland; what action he intends to take to improve enforcement; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonEnforcement of the law against sale of alcohol to under-age persons is an operational matter for the police. The Government are, however, concerned about under-age drinking and the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Bill includes measures to restrict unsupervised off-sales by persons under the age of 18. These measures, if enacted, should significantly reduce the chance of illegal sales through ignorance, deliberate flouting of the law, or collusion between an under-age purchaser and a young sales assistant.