Written question asked by James Brokenshire (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 July 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 6 October 2008. It was answered by Lord Coaker (Labour) on Tuesday, 7 October 2008 on behalf of the Home Office.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of alcohol referral pilots; and how many people have (a) been subject to referral and (b) completed such referral in each of the pilot areas.

Answer: The current alcohol arrest referral (AAR) pilots in Manchester, Liverpool, Ealing and Chester are subject to a vigorous evaluation process. This is being conducted by external evaluators from Liverpool John Moores University and Risk Solutions consultancy. Preliminary findings on re-offending data six months post-intervention and the throughput figures for offenders referred/receiving interventions will be received from the external evaluators in December 2008, with the final report due in July 2009.

Secondary information