The Government agrees that the health impact of alcohol misuse is important and, in our view, the strategy does address alcohol-related health harm and risks to young people. The need to address public disorder and alcohol-related crime are prominent in the strategy, reflecting public concern on these issues. The strategy provides a coherent response to alcohol misuse, and policy proposals such as a minimum unit price, more local powers to control the density of licensed premises, including on the basis of local health considerations, banning multibuy promotions in the off-trade, and local dedicated public health budgets will have an impact on health just as much as crime. Indeed, health experts who gave evidence to the Committee generally recognised that the strategy provides a comprehensive policy response, even where they may have concerns on particular points. The strategy sets out the Government’s ambitions with regard to alcohol and these clearly relate to tackling health harms as well as reducing crime and disorder.

It further specifies six outcomes we want to see, and these include a reduction in the number of adults drinking above the NHS guidelines, and a reduction in the number of alcohol-related deaths, alongside the inclusion of alcohol related hospital admissions in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. All are clear measures of health outcomes.