BELOW COST SELLING OF ALCOHOL

Early day motion 821, tabled 13 October 2010 by Andrew Griffiths (Conservative). Signed by 104 members.

That this House welcomes the commitment of the Government to ban the sale of alcohol below cost price; believes that the irresponsible retailing of alcohol has substantial health and public order consequences; notes that public houses provide a well-controlled and supervised environment for the consumption of alcohol as well as representing a valuable social resource for communities across the country; regrets that below cost price alcohol promotions in the off-trade pose a substantial threat to public houses as consumers increasingly switch to buying cut-price alcohol from the off-trade; further believes that a ban on the sale of below cost price alcohol would represent a positive step change in the levels of social responsibility in alcohol retailing in the UK; acknowledges the importance of ensuring that any definition of below cost price alcohol is easily understood, universally applied to avoid distortions between communities, sufficiently robust to avoid any manipulation by retailers and rigorously enforced to command the confidence of consumers and business alike; and urges the Government to bring forward such proposals as a matter of urgency.

Signatures by party: Labour 42, Conservative 30, Liberal Democrat 24, DUP 3, Plaid Cymru 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, Green 1.