§ 33. Mr. Ian TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the Scottish Council on Alcohol to discuss problems relating to alcoholism in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. StewartMy right hon. Friend has had no recent meeting with the Scottish Council on Alcohol. Scottish Office officials regularly meet Council representatives to discuss matters relating to the work of the organisation and to the Government's response to alcohol misuse more generally. Our determination to tackle this serious problem is reflected in our policy statement "Scotland's Health: A Challenge To Us All", which was published in July and describes the initiatives we are taking on a broad front to make progress towards our target for the year 2000 of reducing by 20 per cent. the number of men and women whose alcohol consumption exceeds recommended sensible levels.