Supplementary note to Questions 803 and
804 (AL 18A)
In my evidence the Chairman requested that we
try to respond to the question posed by Charlotte Atkins MP "that
if all drinkers kept to the government's drinking guidelines how
much sales revenue would you lose?"
It is very difficult to get a full, accurate
picture of average alcohol consumption for all adult drinkers,
because:
— there is no single source;
— there are different methodologies between
sources;
— there are different measurements across
years within the same sources; and
— there are different scopes between sources—eg
UK vs GB vs England & Wales.
The General Household Survey and other ONS and
HMRC statistics are the standard sources of information that we
would use as a reference.
The most recent total UK alcohol sales (ie duty-paid
clearance) figures from HMRC (HMRC Alcohol Fact Sheet 2008) are:
— 11.53 litres of pure alcohol per
adult (aged 16 and over). This figure is problematic because:
— It includes 16-18 year olds.
— It is HMRC alcohol clearance (ie when
duty is payable), not total sales and not total consumption.
— Figure also includes alcohol bought by
non-UK residents (on business or holiday) as well as alcohol bought
and not yet consumed.
The General Household Survey 2006 specifically
asks about consumption. 2006 GHS Table 2.1 provided
figures for average GB weekly consumption for adults over 16 of
18.7 units (men) and 9.0 (women). These are below the
weekly guidelines of 21 (men) and 14 (women). But the
figures are problematic because:
— It includes 16-18 year olds.
— It includes non-drinkers.
— The question was not asked in 2007 for
a more recent comparison.
The General Household Survey 2007 found
that 72% of men and 57% of women "drank last week"—an
average of 65.5% of all adults over 16. The figures are problematic
because:
— It includes 16-18 year olds.
— GHS only asks about drinking "in
the last week". It does not ask whether respondents never
drink. So it would be incorrect to suggest that 34.5% of the population
is teetotal. We do not know from these figures the correct percentage
of adults who never drink, and so cannot extrapolate an average
consumption among drinkers.
In summary, there is no single clear and consistent
picture of alcohol consumption, and we recommend that the Committee
requests one from the Government. GHS figures suggest that average
consumption is within guidelines, and in the absence of other
official statistics that is what guides us.
Andy Fennell
Chief Marketing Officer
Diageo
20 July 2009
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