Written question asked by Lord Adebowale (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Hill of Oareford (Conservative) on Monday, 28 November 2011.

Alcohol

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children in the United Kingdom live with parents who misuse alcohol; and what action they are taking to tackle this issue.

Answer: The Government do not have information on the total number of children who live with parents who misuse alcohol. However, data from the National Alcohol Treatment Monitoring Service show that in 2009-10, 30 per cent (around 33,000) of adults who are undergoing treatment also have parental responsibility. Nationally, a new Troubled Families Unit at CLG will lead a campaign to turn around the 120,000 most troubled families. Part of the campaign will be to promote the development of community budgets, which enable local public service partners to pool their resources and work together to support families with complex needs as they see fit through intensive intervention approaches. Details of the campaign will be made public in December or early in the new year. A cross-government alcohol strategy will be published shortly. The strategy document will address the full range of harm from alcohol (both health and social impacts) and set out each department's commitments and actions.

Secondary information