Sandra Gidley (Lib Dem, Romsey) presented a Bil under the ten-minute rule motionl to make provision for the regulation of the pricing and labelling of alcohol products; to further restrict alcohol advertising; and to make provision in relation to public order and alcohol-related offences; and for connected purposes.

Gidley said, “the escalating direct health problems are bad enough, but high alcohol intake is often linked with unprotected teenage sex and hardly a person in the country has escaped the impact of alcohol-related antisocial behaviour. So tackling the alcohol abuse problem will not only improve the health of the nation, but will help reduce levels of antisocial behaviour.”

With this Bill, Gidley also wanted to tackle the issues surrounding how alcohol is priced and how it is displayed. She cited a report from the Academy of Medical Sciences which had stated that “increased consumption was closely related to the rise in affordability.”

She proposed setting a date by which all alcohol products would be labelled with clear information about the number of units in a drink.

In conclusion, she stated that the proposed measures within the Bill, combined with a hard-hitting advertising and awareness campaign, would “go some way towards tackling the alcohol-related problems that blight the lives of many.”

House of Commons

First reading: July 10 2007 [HC Bill 142]

Second reading: October 19 2007