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Tougher powers to tackle teenage drinking announced |
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But in order to do this they also need the support of industry, enforcement authorities and communities. Everyone needs to meet their responsibilities to make a difference. And parents must play their part too. We will give parents whose children are drinking the support they need to change their damaging behaviour.
There is a lot of good work being done to tackle the damage that alcohol misuse can do to individuals, to the people around them, and to the communities they live in. But I want to us go further, so I fully support what the Home Secretary has announced.
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I know that anti-social behaviour is a real problem for some people in our area and a lot of this is caused by teenage drinking.
Often we can feel powerless when trying to deal with it. As your MP I will always do what I can to help people feel safe in their homes and communities.
So I was really pleased that Labour's Home Secretary Jacqui Smith MP has outlined tougher police powers and called for parents and the drinks industry to play their part in preventing young people drinking in public.
Police must have all the powers they need to make groups of young people drinking in public a thing of the past. A new campaign to confiscate alcohol from underage drinkers begins this month and lessons will be learned from it.
At the same time we will continue to punish those few irresponsible retailers that flout the law by persistently selling to children.
Government must lead the way and I am determined that they should use all the powers at their disposal to bring about change in North Lincolnshire. |
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What's going to happen?
A major new national crackdown by police to confiscate alcohol from all under-18s drinking in public
Extra powers for police to make it clear that children drinking in public is unacceptable
Wider use of parenting contracts when poor parenting is identified
An independent review to see how well the retail industry is doing in meeting alcohol sale standards
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Fairtrade continued
No country has reduced poverty in the last 30 years without also increasing trade. This is why the government has led international efforts to secure fairer trade rules. As part of this the government has committed significant resources: £12 million on Fair Trade promotion since 1997 and $750 million every year from 2010 on Aid for Trade (which helps promote developing countries’ ability to trade by investing in relevant infrastructure, among other things). |
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But there is more that we can do as consumers. Three simple steps will help grow the fair trade market and deliver benefits to some of the world’s poorest countries.
First, where possible, buy products from developing countries.
Second, if there is no clear labelling then ask the retailer where the product has come from and ask that they provide this information more clearly in the future.
Third, ask about the working conditions of those who produced the goods.
By ensuring that retailers are aware that there are a significant number of concerned shoppers, we can help deliver real benefits to developing countries. In Africa, for example, fruit and vegetable exports to the UK benefits a million farmers and their families. By shopping for development we can help provide a vital route out of poverty for many in the world’s poorest country. By following the three simple steps we can have an immediate effect over Fairtrade Fortnight. |
