Blunkett To Take Up Government Job In Los?

[Up2U]

This was copied from The Guardian of 15th March 2004

Does it sound familiar

(I have edited this - original available in Guardian archives)

Press Association

Monday March 15, 2004

The government today called on pubs, clubs and the drinks industry to help reduce the £20bn-a-year social, economic and healthcare costs of Britain's binge drinking culture.

The alcohol harm reduction strategy for England, published today, calls for clearer labelling of drinks so people can check whether they are consuming more than the recommended levels of alcohol - 21 units a week for men and 14 for women.

The strategy unit said the communications watchdog Ofcom will review the code of practice for TV adverts to make sure they did not glamorise alcohol or encourage underage drinking.

It also recommended formalising voluntary schemes where the drinks industry helps fund alcohol education programmes and research into the effects of excessive drinking.

Pubs and bars will be encouraged to contribute towards the costs of policing crime and disorder caused by excessive alcohol consumption.

Under local "corporate social responsibility" schemes, they could also provide transport home for drinkers and pay for marshals to help keep the peace in city centres at closing time.

To combat crime and disorder caused by alcohol misuse, the strategy calls for better enforcement of existing laws to tackle antisocial behaviour and underage drinking.

It urges the police to make greater use of exclusion orders to ban problem drinkers from pubs and town and city centres, and to increase the use of fixed penalty fines for those causing a nuisance on the streets.

Home Office minister Hazel Blears said: "In many areas the police, local councils and the drinks industry are all working together to combat the problems like underage drinking, anti-social behaviour and drink fuelled violence.

"Our strategy will widen this approach so that people are more aware of the dangers of excessive drinking, that advertising doesn't promote irresponsible drinking and the violent behaviour in our city centres is reduced."

The prime minister, Tony Blair said the government accepted all the report's conclusions.

"It is vital that individuals can make informed and responsible decisions about their own levels of alcohol consumption. Everyone needs to be able to balance their right to enjoy a drink with the potential risks to their own - and others' - health and wellbeing."

Yesterday, a leaked letter from the home secretary, David Blunkett, to the prime minister, revealed in the Sunday Times, warned that drink-related disorder risked spiralling out of control.

Mr Blunkett said the "situation at night in our towns and city centres raises serious concerns about the control of alcohol-related crime and disorder".

"At this stage we have said we will have a voluntary scheme. We have also said we will review it early in the next parliament. If it isn't making a significant impact on reducing these problems of crime and disorder, starting to change the culture, then we will look at further measures including possible regulation," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"But I think this voluntary approach initially says to those bars, 'This is a serious situation, come on board with us, be part of a partnership'."

Highlighting Manchester, where a safe city centre scheme was in operation where were partners, Ms Blears said pubs and clubs help pay policing costs and contributed to the funding of "taxi marshals" to help people get home safely.

The deaths of an estimated 15,000 to 22,000 people every year are linked to alcohol.

[Guest timbee]

"21 units a week for men and 14 for women"

why is this? surely men and women have an equal (biological) capacity for alcohol?

some folks get pissed sooner than others, but that's not dependent on their sex.

or is it that men have bigger guts, and so the gov't's health guru reckons ~he~ ought to make a cultural allowance for this factor?

[Up2U]

No, I've seen this statement in several bona fide medical journals.

Seems the gals tend to make better use of each drink.