LordAvebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what grounds they rejected the advice of their scientific advisers that price and availability were the two main levers for reducing alcohol related harm, including crime and disorder. [HL125]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal)I responded to the noble Lord's previous Question on this issue on 15 December 2003. As I said in my reply, the draft analytical paper (which became the interim analytical review, published on 19 September 2003) on the harms associated with alcohol, was circulated by the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit to key stakeholders on a personal basis. The purpose of that process was to enable the Strategy Unit to draw on expert advice and reflect this in the final report. It is reasonable to expect the content of draft documents to change during this process, and the published interim analytical review represented the best assessment of the evidence available.