This petition is now closed, as its deadline has passed.
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to tackle the problem of excessive drinking in the UK and not punish the majority who drink responsibly. More details
Submitted by Richard Siddle of Harpers Wine & Spirit – Deadline to sign up by: 22 January 2009 – Signatures: 285
We urge the Prime Minister to recognise drinking patterns in the UK are in decline.
1 Average alcohol consumption in the UK is falling • Per capita alcohol consumption has been falling since 2003 • The UK ranks 13th out of 27 in the EU league table of per capita alcohol consumption
2 The numbers drinking over the recommended weekly guidelines fell between 2000 and 2006 o Men – down from 29% to 23% o Women – down from 17% to 12% • In the UK 7% of the population drink 33% of the alcohol
3 Underage drinking is down from 26% of 11-15 year olds in 2001 to 21% in 2006 • The numbers of 11-15 year olds who have never drunk alcohol are increasing: o 2000 – 40% o 2006 – 46%
4 Number of people reporting binge drinking (over 8 units) on at least one day in previous week is down: o Men – 2003/4 – 23% 2006 – 18% o Women – 2003/4 – 9% 2006 - 8%
5 The laws we have to tackle alcohol misuse are not being enforced • Just 2 people have been prosecuted and one found guilty of selling alcohol to a drunken person since the 2003 Licensing Act was introduced
Richard Siddle, the Petition Creator, joined by: