§ Mrs. Margaret EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what advice his Department will be offering to publicans and hoteliers considering installing do-it-yourself breathalyser kits in their establishments;
(2) what record the Scottish Home and Health Department has of licensed establishments which have installed any form of do-it-yourself breathalyser kits;
(3) whether the Scottish Home and Health Department has received any representatives for the Licensed Trade Association about the possible installation of do-it-yourself breathalyser kits in licensed premises.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 18 October 1990]: The Department has not received any representations from the Scottish Licensed Trade Association about the installation of do-it-yourself breathalyser kits and has no record of licensed premises which have installed such kits.
The Government have campaigned vigorously against drinking and driving and are strongly opposed to any arrangements which might encourage drivers to drink up to the legal limit in the assumption that it will still be safe for them to drive. The safe course for any driver is not to drink at all. My advice to anyone considering acquiring such kits would therefore be that they will do nothing to contribute to road safety and may simply mislead individuals into thinking that they are fit to drive.