Throughout my Parliamentary career and as a Health Minister, I have raised my concerns about the impacts of excessive alcohol consumption. Although most people drink responsibly, the misuse of alcohol can inflict harm on individuals, their families, the local community and the NHS.
I am particularly concerned about data that was recently released by the Office for National Statistics showing that alcohol-specific deaths in 2022 were 4.2 per cent higher than in 2021 and 32.8 per cent higher than in 2019.
In Parliament, I asked the Public Health Minister, Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP to consider a stand-alone alcohol strategy based on this worrying trend and whether she would meet with me to discuss a way forward to tackle alcohol-specific deaths.
My question to the Public Health Minister can be viewed by clicking here.