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Lord Filkin: My Lords, I recollect that drinking was an important part of university life, although it has not yet reached the status of an entry requirement. I am also aware that Dundee Students Union has a commendable policy of drawing attention to the seriousness of "binge drinking", as I believe it is called. The Government share the concern about excessive amounts of alcohol being consumed in a short period of time. I should be even more impressed with Dundee Students Union if it were to pass on its policy to its four bars, which promote happy hours each day.

Baroness Northover: My Lords, is the Minister aware that the amount of alcohol consumed by 11 to 16 year-olds has more than doubled over the past decade? I declare an interest as having been the possessor, as it were, of two children falling into that bracket. Is he also aware that the advertising industry spends more on advertising alcopops than it does on advertising wine? In addition, is he aware that schools are often more concerned about alcohol abuse among their pupils than they are about drug abuse—possibly rightly so? What does the noble Lord propose to do to turn that problem around?

Lord Filkin: My Lords, first, we must ensure that the problem is viewed in proportion. Concern about under-age drinking does exist but sometimes it depends on the social context within which it takes

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place. One knows of friends who allow their children from the age of 14 onwards and in a supervised environment to drink wine with water over a meal. That is hardly a major issue of concern. Alcopops have been, and remain, a concern of the Government in terms of whether they represent an insidious form of promoting drink to young people. In that respect, through £21 million-worth of support per annum to the national curriculum, the Government have taken, and continue to take, action to promote through schools and through the schools forum the sensible use of alcohol and to raise concerns about drugs.

Baroness Masham of Ilton: My Lords, is the Minister aware that alcohol is more dangerous for young girls and women than it is for males? Will he ensure that more health education is available in order to inform people of the number of units of alcohol that may safely be consumed?

Lord Filkin: My Lords, I am aware of that. I believe that it gave rise to the rather sensitive admission by my noble friend Lord Hunt that women have less water and more fat in their bodies, which accounts for the greater propensity of females to metabolise alcohol more slowly. I give that as a piece of scientific information which I know the House would want to hear. On a more serious note, there is a trend for young women to binge-drink—a trend which may have been less prevalent 20 or 30 years ago. As a consequence, they are more susceptible to alcohol. This issue is a focus of the Government's concern and it has led to the development of their alcohol misuse strategy, which is currently being prepared.

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: My Lords, does the noble Lord agree that alcohol is probably the most dangerous drug in this country, particularly when it is mixed with soft and hard drugs? Does he also agree that it is responsible for many deaths? Each year 35,000 young people die from alcohol poisoning and many people are killed on the roads. Many murders take place and the abuse of wives and children also occurs because of alcohol. Will the Government consider supporting the Liquor Advertising and Promotion Bill, which I introduced in the last Parliament and which is now waiting in the wings, since it follows very closely the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Bill, which the Government now support?

Lord Filkin: My Lords, in a word: no. I look forward to reading the Liquor Advertising and Promotion Bill to which the noble Lord draws my attention. However, the facts are not as he says. The most dangerous drug available in this country is tobacco, not alcohol. Each year 120,000 people die from tobacco-related diseases, whereas the number of people who die from cirrhosis of the liver each year is 4,600. That is 4,600 too many, but there is no comparison between the mortality rates of tobacco and alcohol.

Baroness Walmsley: My Lords, does the Minister agree that the drinks industry could be more helpful as

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regards the labelling on bottles of alcohol? Does he agree that it would be helpful to have the number of units of alcohol in a bottle of wine printed on the label? Such information could be related to the health education of which we are all aware, and to how many units of alcohol it is safe for a man or a woman to drink in a week. Some bottles of wine contain six units and some contain nine units; it depends on the level of alcohol in the bottle.

Lord Filkin: My Lords, I have learnt something. I had always thought that there were six units in a bottle of wine. That will probably allow me to increase my weekly dose. To be serious, that is a sensible point that we should consider in the department as we develop the strategy on alcohol misuse. As noble Lords are aware, the definition has changed from 21 units a week for a man to between three and four units a day to try to limit people cheating on binge drinking.

Lord Condon: My Lords, I declare an interest as chairman of the Independent Complaints Panel of the Portman Group. Is the Minister aware that the Portman Group, which seeks to promote sensible drinking of alcohol, is currently reviewing all its codes for guidance, self-regulation and complaints, and is seeking observations and recommendations for a new strengthened version of the code to be published in the summer?

Lord Filkin: Yes, my Lords, we are aware of that. We look forward to reading that and hope that it will have a powerful impact.

Seat Belts: Back-seat Passengers

2.51 p.m.

Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they will take steps to encourage back-seat passengers in cars to wear seat belts in accordance with the law, including the prosecution of those who do not.

The Minister of State, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): My Lords, the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions will continue with its publicity campaigns to encourage seat belt wearing, both in the front of vehicles and in the rear. The observed wearing rate in the rear of a vehicle by adults has increased to 56 per cent and further work is needed to improve on that. Enforcement of the law is for the police. In the year 2000 police in Great Britain issued over 188,000 fixed penalty notices and 8,700 prosecutions were undertaken. Some 6,000 formal written warnings were issued in England and Wales.

Lord Janner of Braunstone: My Lords, I thank my noble and learned friend for that Answer. Is he aware that seat belts worn in the rear of a vehicle would prevent some 80 per cent of the deaths of people sitting

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in the front of vehicles? Should I infer from what he has said that so far the publicity campaign has largely been a failure because, on his admission, some 46 per cent of people in the rear of vehicles do not wear seat belts and that prosecutions have not had the desired effect? While recognising the results of the Japanese survey that show that people who sit in the front of vehicles are at such a huge danger from unbelted passengers in the rear, does he agree that the publicity campaign and the efforts to prosecute should be stepped up at once?

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: My Lords, the 80 per cent figure was based on the research carried out in Japan, which highlights the importance of wearing a rear seat belt. However, the research published in the Lancet is not indicative of the potential UK savings, because it was a survey of accidents and casualties in Japan where seat belt wearing in the rear of vehicles is not compulsory. The results cannot be read across directly for use in this country. Yes, there is certainly work to be carried out in persuading people to wear seat belts in the rear of cars, but it is worth pointing out that there has been an improvement from the figure of about 46 per cent of people who wear seat belts in the rear to the current figure, which is a significant increase.

Lord Walton of Detchant: My Lords, does the Minister accept that, while the wearing of seat belts in the rear of vehicles would prevent a great deal of death and disability, much attention needs to be paid by the manufacturers of seat belts to an improved design? Sometimes when one travels by London taxi one can be almost at one's destination before one has managed to fasten the seat belt. On the rare occasion when I am a back-seat passenger in my family car, similar difficulties arise. What are the Government doing to promote better design of rear seat belts?

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: My Lords, I have experienced difficulty in fastening seat belts—not because I am more water than fat, but for other reasons. It is important. Everybody agrees that if there is a seat belt it should be worn. That is the law now, save in exceptional cases. We want to promote that as much as possible. We shall speak to manufacturers about improving the design, but they are as aware as everybody else that because seat belts are compulsory front and back it is in their interests to have as easy a seat belt locking device as possible.


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