Abbott: Cameron should focus on alcohol action not gimmicks
Diane Abbott, shadow public health minister, responds to David Cameron's comments on alcohol:
"This is a growing problem that everybody has to face. In David Cameron's Britain, hospital admissions linked to alcohol problems have reached a record high so the government urgently needs to get a grip. But David Cameron's comments smell of panic. The government's position is a real mess because we have a prime minister at war with his own health secretary about what to do, when what's needed is proper leadership. David Cameron has got to resist gimmicks and focus on real action.
"Health experts, schools and even David Cameron's own MPs are raising the alarm bells about the direction this government has taken the country on public health, because David Cameron and Andrew Lansley have got drinks companies writing government policy for them. It is creating a ticking time bomb. There is a vacuum where there should be full and proper strategy to tackle the rising tide of harm caused by binge-drinking seen in our high-streets and hospitals.
"This government's policies so far have been all about keeping the Cabinet's friends in big business happy and unfortunately, it is costing our NHS and British families an absolute fortune. A recent report predicted that binge-drinking will cost the NHS £3.8 billion by 2015, with 1.5 million A&E admissions a year.
"We should equip young people with the skills they need to resist peer pressure to go out drinking. There are concrete lessons to be learnt from overseas, where tried and tested programmes aim to reduce alcohol and substance abuse through classroom-based education. These types of programmes have had excellent success rates. All the evidence suggests that trying to intervene at older ages, when behaviours are more set, is too late."
