Safe, Social, Sensible Drinking: The Role of Industry (Speech: 23/04/08)

Kevin's speech to the Wine and Spirit Trade Assocation

 

When I was first elected to Parliament in 2001 I made reference to the many bars in the House of Commons, and quoted my father who came to Britain from Ireland as a young man, and had many wise saying. One of them, in relation to drinking was “2 is plenty – 4 is only half enough.” And although I’ve not always managed to stick to 2, there’s a lot of wisdom in what he said, about knowing your limits, and how to enjoy a drink sociably and sensibly. But, in recent years, we have all recognised changes in our nation’s drinking culture, perhaps most noticeably in relation to young people and how much they are drinking, where they are drinking, and how they get hold of it in the first place. We have developed something of an international reputation for binge drinking. And when it comes to rates of alcohol consumption amongst young people, the UK does not compare favourably with the rest of Europe. Among 35 European countries, the UK has the third highest proportion of 15 year olds who have been drunk 10 times or more over the past year. And, of course, that has had serious social ramifications. Binge-drinking can turn parts of our town centres, public transport, and public spaces into intimidating or unpleasant places.  And unsupervised drinking by children and young people fuels anti-social behaviour. Violent crime is significantly lower overall than it was 10 years ago but there are still too many cases of alcohol-related violence, increasingly involving young people. And the cost is dear. It is estimated that the UK alcoholic drinks industry contributes £14 billion to the Exchequer each year, but some estimates say that excessive drinking costs the UK economy around £20 billion a year in health, crime and disorder. Whatever the actual figure, it is not acceptable that significant resources which could be put to better use like employing teachers, or nurses are needed to deal with misuse of alcohol. And of course we have to remember the cost of individual lives. We are seeing more and more compelling evidence about the effects of alcohol misuse on young people’s health, storing up problems for the future. It is encouraging that fewer young people are drinking than 5 years ago, but worrying that those who do drink are drinking more alcohol, more often. Not only does drinking more than the recommended amount lead to serious health problems, but also makes people more susceptible to forms of high-risk behaviour, such as taking drugs or having underage or unprotected sex. And it can seriously affect performance, attendance and attainment at school. The danger is that cycles of underachievement become locked into generations through low aspirations and poor prospects.  We can’t pass by on the other side and let that happen. Government, industry, and every member of society has a duty to protect our young people from harm, and to help them set out on the road to success; our job, in short, is to help them reach their potential. As young people are still learning habits, exploring new things, and having new social experiences, the campaign to arm them with the right information and clear boundaries when it comes to drinking is even more vital. We want to help every young person to get in the habit and understand the value of taking care of themselves. A healthy lifestyle supports success. That’s why we update our alcohol strategy Safe, Sensible, Social in June last year, to reflect the issues that young people are facing, to tackle some of the complex causes of excessive alcohol consumption amongst children and young people, and to reduce underage sales. And we have a new Public Service Agreement to improve outcomes for young people; and underpinning that is an indicator which will help us measure better the number of young people who are frequently using alcohol or other substances. And industry has a crucial role to play. We need to focus our efforts on two prime objectives: First, we must ensure that alcohol is not sold to anyone under the age of 18. Secondly, we must encourage a healthier culture around drinking, so that young people are not pressured to start drinking early on, and have all the information to make sensible decisions about when and how much they drink when they’re old enough to do so. Industry has a vital role to play in both of those objectives. We have made real progress: I know that the WSTA takes social responsibility very seriously, and have focused on tackling underage sales through policies such as Challenge 21, with some success. The efforts from industry, together with a real drive from local government, has led to improvements in the rates of test purchase failures. So I want take this opportunity to thank you for all that you are doing to safeguard young people from accessing alcohol. But despite that progress, 40% of all targeted premises still fail a test purchase at the first attempt. I know that everyone in this room will agree that figure is unacceptable. So we need to continue the drive to make sure that those selling alcohol are not just paying lip-service to these policies, but that they are actually being enforced. Through the development of the Youth Alcohol Action Plan, my department, the DCSF, is working with the Home Office and Other Government Departments to adopt a broad based approach to reduce young people’s alcohol consumption and the harm it causes to themselves and the wider community. And we will also focus on communicating with parents, to find the right mix of information, support and challenge to reduce drinking by young people. I think we need a debate as a nation about, when and in what circumstances it is appropriate to introduce young people to alcohol.  For many, attitudes to drink are formed at home, and bad habits stem from the ready availability of alcohol at home, or through behaviours learned from parents. Some young people don’t drink at all, yet their young lives are being blighted by alcohol because of a parent who abuses it. [I met…HMS Belfast…] We must support families to make sure that young people have a stable and secure home-life that will give them the resources and the confidence to achieve their potential. And that brings me to the second objective – promoting a healthier culture.  As the primary influence in young people’s lives, we need to make sure that parents are given the right information, and are not giving children access to alcohol inappropriately. And we also need to change young people’s attitudes to alcohol, so that binge drinking and anti-social behaviour are not seen as attractive, or cool. We need to get people to think before they drink. To choose to drink because they want to, not because their friends think they should. To drink sensibly and safely. And to stop before things go too far, and they become incapable of self-control. Advertising and the role of the media are critical too. Advertising is now more ubiquitous and beguiling and available through many channels whether it be the end of a phone, an internet connection, or a TV screen. It is an enormously powerful force. Otherwise, of course, no-one would pay for it. Peer pressure has an enormous influence over the choices that young people make, for example over 60% of young people who commit offences, do so with their friends. So as soon as perceptions are formed they spread through peer pressure. And that’s why it’s imperative that advertising campaigns consider carefully the effects on young people. Government has stepped up its own marketing in recent years, through the Know Your Limits and FRANK campaigns. The Know Your Limits campaign, launched in October 2006, has effectively raised awareness of alcohol harm amongst its target audience of 18-24 year olds. And we have committed to giving young people more things to do, and safe places to go.  Over and above the £679 million we announced in July last year to improve access to positive leisure-time activities, we have also committed to: Invest an additional £160 million over the next 3 years to improve the quality and range of places for young people to go and things to do. Develop an entitlement for young people to participate in positive activities which develop their talents, including piloting a new offer to take part in cultural activities outside school. And spend £20 million over the next 3 years on Acceptable Behaviour Contracts to improve behaviour amongst young people. So not only will young people have more to do, but they will also get a real say in the facilities on offer to them, so that they can help to shape their own communities a lot more. The pressure for change can’t come from government alone. It needs to be driven by society and industry. You can exert a huge amount of positive influence, as we have already seen, in some excellent examples of good practice.   I welcome the fact that from next season, for example, Carling has removed its advertising from children’s football shirts. I want to see that approach become universal. The toolkit that WSTA has developed will help more companies in the alcohol industry take steps towards promoting a more positive drinking culture. It will be an excellent resource for companies across the spectrum of the industry, from manufacturing to marketing, signposting to selling. But I think we can go further. Again, it is not just about paying lip-service to social responsibility policies, but about taking those responsibilities seriously and really embedding them in practice. The WSTA has shown an appetite to effect change, and I thank you again for your efforts. We now have to build on the excellent partnerships that we have developed between government and industry – through the work of the DrinkAware Trust and other partners – to drive this forward.   In the coming weeks we will be publishing the Youth Action Plan, which will outline our proposals on what more we need to do, and how we will build on the excellent progress that has already been made. I invite you to contribute your ideas as an industry. That document will complement the 10 Year Drugs Strategy which will improve alcohol education in schools, and help to tackle parental alcohol misuse. A strong partnership with industry will be essential to that work as we move forward. I urge you to maintain your commitment to improve public safety and the lives of young people in all the work that you do. We all want to see a generation of healthy, successful and confident young adults who are enjoying their lives and achieving; where alcohol is a welcome pleasure in their lives, not a destructive force. And we want to see a more sociable Britain that is renowned for its conviviality, enjoyment, and sensible and social drinking. That is our challenge. You can help to make it happen. Thank you.