HL Deb 19 July 2004 vol 664 cc9-10WA
Lord Avebury

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to measure the effects of the campaign on alcohol crime hotspots announced by the Home Office on 8 July; and whether they will publish statistics showing the number of offences of violence against the person, ambulance call-outs and admissions at accident and emergency departments arising from incidents occurring on or in the vicinity of licensed premises in the 77 areas concerned, during the eight-week period chosen for the campaign, and for the same period in 2003. [HL3749]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal)

The Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign is a key component of the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England that was published on 15 March 2004. The campaign aims to send a strong message that alcohol related violence will not be tolerated and to raise awareness of the issues affecting police and partners and our communities in towns and cities across England and Wales. Its success will be judged as part of the wider programme of work set out in the Government's strategy for tackling alcohol related harm. We will also be collecting a range of data to measure success, such as the numbers of fixed penalty notices issued and the numbers of licensees selling to underage persons. We are working with the Department of Health to ensure that accident and emergency departments collect data on alcohol-related admissions where possible. We will be publishing aggregated data from participating areas at regular intervals throughout the campaign.