Monday, 2 June 2008
Underage Drinking: Nationwide Crackdown

Anyone looking under 21 will be challenged by bar staff and off-licence workers to prove they are an adult before being sold alcohol, under a new Government initiative....

Vendors will also be subject to a "two-strikes" rule on selling booze to children as ministers seek to curb binge-drinking among teenagers.
Parents, meanwhile, are to be presented with new guidance about what age children should be allowed to drink, how much and under what kind of parental supervision.
The measures will be unveiled today by Children and Schools Secretary Ed Balls as part of a cross-Whitehall alcohol action plan.

Among 11 to 15-year-olds, the proportion drinking regularly has fallen but still stood at 21% in 2006.

Mr Balls said: "Tougher enforcement powers are needed to tackle under-age binge drinking but enforcement measures alone are not the solution.

"We need a culture change about drinking, with everyone from parents, the alcohol industry and young people all taking more responsibility.

"We need to fundamentally influence young people's behaviour and attitudes towards alcohol."

The Government is working with the retail and bar industries to urge their members to adopt a "no-ID-no-sale" basis.

Other moves include criminalising under-18s who refuse to stop drinking in the streets and court orders requiring their parents to step in.

The strategy comes amid heightened concern among voters about anti-social behaviour and alcohol abuse among younger people.