Written question asked by Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 15 June 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 June 2026. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 June 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.
NHS: Costs
- Question
-
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the National Health Service of treating conditions caused or exacerbated by tobacco, alcohol and drug use.
- Answer
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The following table shows the available estimates of the cost to the National Health Service of treating conditions caused and exacerbated by tobacco and alcohol:
Substance
Estimated NHS cost
Source of Estimate
Tobacco
£1.8 billion annually
Action on Smoking and Health, 2025
Alcohol
£4.9 billion annually
Institute of Alcohol Studies, 2021/22
Comparisons of costs should not be made between estimates above because of the different methodologies used in their construction.
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- HL971
- Session
- 2026-27
- Subjects
- Alcoholic drinks Costs Drugs NHS Misuse Tobacco
- Contains statistics
- Yes
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-06-30 18:02:44 +0100
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2026-27/HL971
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