§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they accept the findings of the report No Half Measures by the Alcohol Harm Reduction Group on the impact of alcohol misuse on the police, ambulance services, accident and emergency departments and fire services; and how the extension of opening hours under the Licensing Act 2003 will contribute towards a reduction of these problems. [HL146]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit recently published an interim analytical report detailing the evidence they have examined on the harms which can be associated with alcohol misuse, including the impact on a range of public services. This will be the evidence base for the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England. We welcome all contributions, such as the Alcohol Harm Reduction Group'sNo Half Measures report, towards identifying and tackling the problems associated with alcohol misuse.
The potential impact on public services of the abolition of permitted hours as allowed under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 was examined before the Act was passed and the impact of these provisions will be monitored after they come into force in 2005.