UK: BBPA says plans to prosecute parents would not work

Plans to prosecute parents would not work, according to British Beer and Pub Association, April 27.

Commenting on the call from Alcohol Concern, that parents who give alcohol to under-15s, even with a meal at home, should face prosecution, Mark Hastings, Communications Director at the British Beer and Pub Association, said:

"What the figures show is that not only are the numbers of children drinking alcohol falling, but that over 90 per cent are either not drinking at all or only having a couple of drinks per year. The number of children drinking at the levels referred to by Alcohol Concern therefore amount to a small fraction of 11-13 year olds.

"This doesn’t seem a very strong evidence base for such a punitive policy proposal - and short of putting CCTV in every house in Britain, how would this be enforced?

"Overall, the proposal flies in the face of evidence and common sense. It is widely recognised that in countries like France, Spain and Italy - where children learn to drink with their parents over meals - they grow up treating alcohol with respect and have far fewer problems with binge drinking and misuse.

"It's far better to talk to children and help them learn how to respect alcohol in the context of the family than keep it under lock and key like some forbidden fruit.

The British Beer and Pub Association is the UK’s leading organisation representing the brewing and pub sector. Its members account for 98% of the beer brewed in the UK and own more than half of Britain’s 60,000 pubs.

02 May, 2007