Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Kelvin Hopkins (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 14 July 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Alcohol-induced Crime

Question: Has my hon. Friend looked at stricter controls on alcohol consumption in other countries, and the effects of those controls? In the United States of America, the minimum age for drinking is much higher than in Britain, and street disorder is much lower. Would he look seriously at that possibility?

Answer: We are looking at the possibility of raising the legal age for drinkers, but we very much agree with the points of my hon. Friend the Member for Midlothian (Mr. Hamilton). The issue is to tackle associated problems with respect to alcohol, whether they involve retailers selling to those who are under age, or those who use alcohol as an excuse for violence or disorder. We need to tackle those problems. I think that the law is right; we need to ensure that we do better on the implementation of the law.

Secondary information