ALCOHOL STRATEGY

That this House welcomes the Government's commitment to publish a new Alcohol Strategy; notes that alcohol harms cost the NHS around £3.5 billion annually and that there are 595,000 adults with alcohol dependence in England, 80 per cent of whom are not in contact with treatment services; further notes the huge cost to family relationships which is caused by alcohol dependency, with alcohol use the most common reason for children to call ChildLine with concerns about their parents, and an estimated 189,119 children in England in 2014-15 living with at least one alcohol dependent adult; notes the damage alcohol harm can cause to couple relationships, with research showing that 95 per cent of couples with a loved one misusing alcohol or drugs feeling it had affected their relationship; further welcomes progress made by the Government to better address the wider impact of alcohol harm, and towards developing an alcohol strategy; and calls on Government to bring forward a comprehensive alcohol strategy in the near future, including necessary investment in better education and support services, and to include a commitment that Minimum Unit Pricing will be reviewed and consulted on as a policy when Public Health England reports on its scientific review into the impact of Minimum Unit Pricing following its recent introduction in Scotland.