We know that there is a correlation between domestic abuse and substance misuse, but domestic abuse is not caused by substance misuse.

This government is determined to safeguard victims by disrupting the behaviour of perpetrators through perpetrator interventions. The Home Office is investing £74.5 million (until March 2029) for the Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund.

Perpetrators’ misuse of drugs and alcohol must be addressed to ensure domestic abuse interventions are efficient. This government continues to invest in local treatment and recovery systems with over £3.4 billion ringfenced through the Public Health Grant to help ensure that those with drugs and alcohol problem can access support. Through this investment and partnership working across health, criminal justice, safeguarding, and domestic abuse services, we are supporting individuals and families to reduce harm, support recovery, and improve outcomes for children and families.

In England, the Families First Partnership programme is rolling out reforms to family help, child protection and family group decision making to keep children safe. The programme is backed by £2.4 billion over three years. These reforms will help rebalance the system of support away from crisis intervention and towards earlier help, ensuring children and families, including those experiencing domestic abuse and/or substance misuse, are able to access the right support at the right time.

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 engaging with experts, people with lived experience, and other stakeholders, and assessing emerging evidence on the impact that this may be having on health outcomes and on the effective promotion of the licensing objectives. I chaired a roundtable in June on this issue, jointly with the then Minister for Public Health and Prevention, and we are now determining our next steps, including engagement with delivery companies.

The Government recognises the important role that pubs and restaurants play in local communities and the wider economy. The temporary easement introduced during the pandemic, which allowed on-trade premises to provide off-sales without a variation, expired on 31 March 2025.

Licensed businesses wishing to offer off-sales or takeaway pints can apply to vary their existing premises licence through existing processes under the Licensing Act 2003 for £89. New licence applicants already have the ability to request a licence for both ‘on’ and ‘off’ sales at no additional cost than if they were to apply for a licence for on-sales only.

Whilst we do not currently have plans to re-introduce the easement, we continue to consider how the licensing framework can better support hospitality businesses while maintaining appropriate safeguards.

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 engaging with experts, people with lived experience, and other stakeholders, and assessing emerging evidence on the impact that this may be having on health outcomes and on the effective promotion of the licensing objectives. I chaired a roundtable in June on this issue, jointly with the then Minister for Public Health and Prevention, and we are now determining our next steps, including engagement with delivery companies.

The Department has published extensive guidance and resources to support effective practice for the commissioners and providers of alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services, recommending they should provide support to family members and friends and facilitate their access to mutual aid groups such as Al-Anon Family Groups. Examples of guidance and resources include the United Kingdom clinical guidelines for alcohol treatment, the Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management, the Recovery support services and lived experience initiative, and the Facilitating Access to Mutual Aid toolkit, all of which are available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg115/chapter/Recommendations#principles-of-care

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/drug-misuse-and-dependence-uk-guidelines-on-clinical-management

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recovery-support-services-and-lived-experience-initiatives

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mutual-aid-toolkit-for-alcohol-and-drug-misuse-treatment

The Department is also supporting a National Institute for Health and Care Research funded study to build the UK evidence base on facilitated access to mutual aid. Findings are expected in 2030. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/NIHR169047

The powers provided by the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 are deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances.

The Government is committed to supporting the effective use of ASB powers, while recognising that decisions on their use must reflect local circumstances. The Home Office publishes statutory guidance and works with policing and criminal justice partners to support their use. This includes encouraging early engagement between the police and prosecutors so that potential CBO applications can be identified at the earliest opportunity. The guidance also sets out the process for dispersal directions which allows uniformed officers to respond quickly to ASB, crime or disorder.

The Government has not made a specific assessment of the effectiveness of PSPOs in tackling persistent youth violence and intimidation in residential neighbourhoods. PSPOs provide local authorities with a flexible power to address persistent ASB in public spaces, where the statutory test is met. Decisions on their use are made locally by agencies that understand the challenges facing their communities.

The new ASB data-reporting requirements for local agencies will provide greater transparency and improve understanding of how ASB powers, including PSPOs, are being used.

We have also strengthened the ASB toolkit through the Crime and Policing Act 2026. This includes extending the maximum period of a dispersal direction from 48 to 72 hours, helping the police respond swiftly and effectively to ASB. We have also increased the maximum fixed penalty notice for breaching a PSPO from £100 to £500, introduced new ASB data-reporting requirements, and created Respect Orders to tackle the most persistent adult perpetrators.

More broadly, the Government is supporting police forces to tackle all forms of ASB, including drink-related ASB. Every police force in England and Wales now has an ASB lead working with local partners to deliver community-based responses through local ASB Action Plans. The ASB Action Plan for Leicestershire Police can be found here - https://www.leics.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/antisocial-behaviour-action-plan/

The number of fatalities in personal injury road collisions, in Great Britain as reported by the police using the STATS19 system between 2016 and 2025 (the latest year for which data is available) where a driver or rider was assigned “affected by drugs” is given in the table below:

Within STATS19, the number of collisions where drivers were affected by drugs are based on road safety factor data. This includes illegal and legal drugs. It is not possible to separate them in the road safety factor data.

Since 2023, road safety factors (RSFs) have started to replace the previous system of contributory factors (CFs). As of 2025, not all police forces are recording RSFs, but instead using the older CF specification.

The change of specification has resulted in differences in the levels of reporting for some factors and as such comparisons to data from recent years should be made with caution.

The estimated number of collisions and fatalities in personal injury drink-drive collisions for Great Britain between 2015 and 2024 (the latest figures available) are given in the table below.

Figures are rounded to the nearest 10:

Note figures in the table are rounded to the nearest 10

Within STATS19, the number of collisions where drivers were over the legal alcohol limit are based on the results of breath tests conducted by the police at the scene of personal injury road collisions and combined with data from coroners and procurators’ fiscal on blood alcohol levels of those killed in collisions.

The Government remains committed to supporting people to lead healthier lives and looks at a wide range of evidence on the impacts of alcohol-related harm

Alcohol-related harm places pressure on individuals, families, communities and public services, including the NHS, and we are taking action to address this.

As outlined in the 10 Year Health Plan for England, the Department of Health and Social Care is working towards launching a consultation in late 2026 on options to make it a legal requirement for alcohol labels to display health warnings and consistent nutritional information, which will support people to make healthier choices about alcohol.

The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. The primary purpose of the Act is to ensure the four statutory licensing objectives are upheld: the prevention of crime and disorder; public safety; the prevention of public nuisance; and the protection of children from harm. As such, the Act plays a vital role in reducing alcohol related crime and disorder.

Alongside this, police forces are delivering the commitments contained in the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. Every force across England and Wales has now published an anti-social behaviour plan and has a named and contactable ASB lead dedicated to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour locally. Forces have also increased patrols in town centres and other key locations based on local demand and intelligence.

The Government recognises the significant harm that alcohol use can cause to individuals, families and communities and the impact this can have on crime and disorder. Addressing this is a key priority for this Government and ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’ commits to some crucial steps to support people to make healthier choices about alcohol. From 2026, all drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery funding will be channelled through the Public Health Grant, with over £13.45 billion allocated across three years, including £3.4 billion ringfenced for drug and alcohol prevention, treatment and recovery. This is the first multi-year settlement in over a decade and provides local government with greater certainty to plan and invest over the medium term.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 June in response to Question 3696.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 June in response to Question 3696.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 9 June in response to Question 3696.

The updated relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance was published in July 2025 and includes curriculum content on drugs and alcohol. Schools are required to teach the new content from September 2026.

The statutory curriculum for health education requires all pupils in state-maintained schools to be taught the facts about legal and illegal harmful substances and the associated risks to physical and mental wellbeing, including those due to smoking, alcohol use and drug-taking. This complements content about substances taught in the science curriculum.

The department has worked with the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the PSHE Association to make sure good quality teaching resources are available for teachers delivering drug, alcohol and tobacco education. We have also commissioned Oak Academy to make lesson materials which reflect the new guidance freely available.