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Policing and Crime Bill

I am saying that we need to have all the evidence that price is a factor. Certainly, intuitively, I believe that it is, but we need to have the Sheffield study developed further to get the precise evidence so that we can absolutely say that it is. In terms of the taxation side of life, the Treasury announced in the 2008 Budget that duty on alcohol would rise in real terms by 6 per cent in 2008-09 and then 2 per cent each year over the following four years until 2012-13. The Chancellor also decided that an increase in duty to compensate for the reduction of VAT would stay in place once VAT is increased. I understand that that is another way of trying to tackle this issue and it would merit a sensible debate as well. On the basis of that discussion, I ask the noble Baroness to withdraw her amendment.