Lansley urges support for Responsibility Deal

UK secretary of state for health Andrew Lansley MP has called on the drinks trade to step up its support for the government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal.

  “The decisions made by your businesses have a real impact on people’s lives,” he remarked during his keynote address at the Wine and Spirit Trade Association conference, which took place in London today.

110 drinks industry firms have signed up to the deal since it was launched in March, committing themselves to work towards some of the seven pledges.

These include clear labelling for alcoholic drinks, raising awareness across the on- and off-trades about health issues associated with alcohol abuse, taking action to tackle under-age alcohol sales, supporting Drinkaware’s “Why let the good times go bad?” campaign, adopting a responsible marketing approach and working with local communities on schemes to address alcohol-related issues.

In particular, Lansley applauded the additional £1 million pledged by Asda to tackle alcohol misuse by young people and the retailer’s decision to stop displaying alcohol in its foyers. He also highlighted the success of Diageo’s initiative to pay for 10,000 midwives to be trained in making pregnant women aware of the dangers of drinking alcohol.

“I would look to you all to see what similar steps you can take,” he concluded. “If you’re outside it, you need to explain why.”

Lansley’s call was echoed by Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the WSTA. Urging the trade to sign up, he said: “We’re trying to keep bureaucracy to a minimum but giving clarity to what you’ve said you’ll do is important. There will be forms to fill in but please don’t be put off.”

Latest government figures show that more than one million people were admitted to hospital last year with an alcohol-related condition, while alcohol is associated with over one million cases of violent crime. In all, alcohol abuse is estimated to cost the NHS £2.7 billion every year.

For more information about the Public Health Responsibility Deal and signatories so far, click here