SUPER STRENGTH CIDERS

That this House notes that cider sales in the UK have again risen with 47 per cent. of drinkers now regularly having a glass compared to42 per cent. less than a decade ago and with sales increasing from 1.7 billion in 2006 to 2.4 billion in 2011;is alarmed however by recent evidence that young people in particular are being targeted by the makers of super strength ciders that cause health problems including speeding up the rate of liver cirrhosis; and calls on the Government to heed the advice given by charities and health professionals that there is a need to crack down on such pariah products, which currently benefit from being taxed at only half the amount charged on lager and with take home high-alcohol ciders selling for as little as 16 pence per unit.