Decisions on taxes are taken at the Budget by the Chancellor.

Tax changes announced at Budget are accompanied by a Tax Information and Impact Note which sets out the expected revenue impact.

The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. It is already an offence under the Act to knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk or underage.

Consumer alcohol purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services. The Department for Health and Social Care, which has responsibility for policy on health harms, and the Home Office are looking at how current licensing rules apply to these services to ensure these are effective.

This includes seeking the views of experts, those with lived experience and other stakeholders and evaluating emerging evidence on the impact this may be having on people’s health and the upholding of the licensing objectives. I chaired a roundtable last month on this issue, jointly with the Minister for Public Health and Prevention, and we are now determining our next steps, including engagement with delivery companies.

The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. It is already an offence under the Act to knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk or underage.

Consumer alcohol purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services. The Department for Health and Social Care, which has responsibility for policy on health harms, and the Home Office are looking at how current licensing rules apply to these services to ensure these are effective.

This includes seeking the views of experts, those with lived experience and other stakeholders and evaluating emerging evidence on the impact this may be having on people’s health and the upholding of the licensing objectives. I chaired a roundtable last month on this issue, jointly with the Minister for Public Health and Prevention, and we are now determining our next steps, including engagement with delivery companies.

The Government’s police reforms will protect and strengthen neighbourhood policing by freeing local forces from national responsibilities so they can focus on issues that matter most locally, like anti-social behaviour (ASB). Every police force in England and Wales now has an ASB lead in place who will work with communities, stakeholders and the general public to implement their individual ASB Action Plans, which were published at the start of April. Further information on the Metropolitan Police ASB action plan can be found here: https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/antisocial-behaviour-action-plan/

Through our Crime and Policing Act, we are making our streets and neighbourhoods safer by strengthening the powers available to the police and other agencies to tackle anti-social behaviour, including increasing the upper limit for fixed penalty notices for breaches of CPNs and PSPOs from £100 to £500, increasing the time a dispersal direction can be implemented for from 48 to 72 hours and giving registered social housing providers the power to issue closure notices, amongst others.

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities and other local agencies with a range of tools and powers, including Public Spaces Protection Orders, that they can use to respond to anti-social behaviour. However, the powers in the ‘2014 Act’ are deliberately flexible in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances of each individual case.

Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) are designed to stop individuals or groups committing ASB in a public place. Romford has an existing PSPO in place to restrict alcohol related nuisance and any amendment or new PSPO would require consultation with local authorities, police and relevant local agencies: https://www.havering.gov.uk/community-1/public-space-protection-orders-pspo.

The available estimates of the cost to the National Health Service of treating conditions caused and exacerbated by tobacco and alcohol are shown in the following table:

Smoking is estimated to cost society £21.9 billion per year in England.

Estimates for drug use are more limited but based on data from the Office for National Statistics and the independent review of drugs by Professor Dame Carol Black, the harms associated with wholly drug-related hospital admissions are estimated at £37 million. This cost includes admissions for mental and behavioural disorders, overdoses and poisonings, and drug-related neonatal disorders.

Comparisons of costs should not be made between estimates above because of the different methodologies used in their construction.

Sustained engagement in treatment and recovery is essential to tackling the underlying causes of offending. We work closely with health partners to refer offenders into treatment as early as possible and support ongoing engagement.

We are committed to diverting offenders with drug or alcohol needs away from custody and into community-based support where appropriate. This includes strengthening the use of Drug Rehabilitation Requirements (DRRs) and Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs) as part of community sentences which aim to tackle the causes of offending behaviour through structured treatment. Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators have been recruited across all probation regions in England and Wales to strengthen links between treatment providers and probation. We are also expanding the Intensive Supervision Courts from four to eleven. This problem-solving approach offers wrap around support, treatment and judicial oversight, enabling offenders to remain in the community while tackling the root causes of their offending, such as drug or alcohol misuse.

For those where a prison sentence is appropriate, we need to make prison a place that reforms offenders and provides opportunities for recovery. We have funded Incentivised Substance Free Living Units in 88 prisons where prisoners agree to be regularly drug tested and can access enhanced opportunities and have funded Drug Strategy Leads to ensure local drug strategies are effectively implemented. We are also increasing access to mutual aid groups across the estate, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous.

We recognise that the first few weeks after leaving prison are a high-risk for relapse, overdose and reoffending. To support prison leavers to continue their recovery journey in the community, we are strengthening links between prisons, probation, and treatment providers, improving information sharing between treatment providers and probation and enabling virtual pre-release appointments with community treatment via secure laptops.

The Department for Transport does not collect or hold data on the proportion of incidents involving disruptive or unruly airline passengers in which alcohol was identified as a contributing factor. Airlines and airports may collect this data as part of their reporting practices.

Asylum support is for essential living needs and nothing more.

There is a strict no alcohol policy within accommodation sites where residents are required to comply with site rules.

Upon arrival asylum seekers are given an induction setting out acceptable and unacceptable behaviours, as well as their responsibilities as individuals.

The Department of Health and Social Care, working in close collaboration with colleagues at the Home Office, are in the early stages of assessing the impact of food delivery services on levels of alcohol consumption and any resultant impact on public health, reflecting the importance of ensuring that the licensing regime remains robust and effective.

A roundtable was convened by both Minister Jones, Minister for Policing and Crime, and Minister Hodgson, Minister for Public Health and Prevention on 15 June, to explore the impact of rapid alcohol deliveries on consumption, the potential impact on harms, and potential solutions. We are also commissioning research to bridge evidence gaps.

The delivery of alcohol is regulated under the Licensing Act 2003, responsibility for which rests with the Home Office. This Government recognises that consumer purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in alcohol sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services.