POWERFUL PANEL TO FOCUS ON ALCOHOL

Alcohol Concern announced today that it is convening a panel of senior figures from the public policy arena, the media, and industry to identify what they think should be the main priorities and devise solutions for the ways alcohol damages people and families. The panels conclusions will feed into the governments promised review of its three-year Alcohol Strategy.

ALCOHOL CONCERN PRESS RELEASE


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00:01 hrs, Sunday 18th March 2007



POWERFUL PANEL TO FOCUS ON ALCOHOL


Alcohol Concern announced today that it is convening a panel of senior figures from the public policy arena, the media, and industry to identify what they think should be the main priorities and devise solutions for the ways alcohol damages people and families. The panels conclusions will feed into the governments promised review of its three-year Alcohol Strategy.

Srabani Sen, Chief Executive of Alcohol Concern, says:
Alcohol damages the lives of between 8 million and 12 million people in this country. It is a major problem for society and the time is right to take a fresh look at how we reduce its impact.

The panel is comprised of Matthew Taylor (Chief Executive of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts), Deborah Arnott (Director of ASH), Nick Starling (Director of General Insurance and Health, Association of British Insurers), Andrew McCulloch (Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation), Alison Benjamin (Deputy Editor of the Society Guardian) and Srabani Sen.

The panel will look at a range of issues including:

Alcohol and the Public Health. Up to 150,000 hospital admissions and 22,000 deaths are associated with alcohol each year. Government calculates that the annual cost from alcohol to the NHS is Gbp 1.7 billion.

Alcohol and Crime. Almost half of victims of violent crime have said that the perpetrator was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offence. Alcohol-related crime and disorder costs the country up to GBP 7.3 billion each year.

Alcohol and Young People. UK teenagers report some of the highest levels of lifetime drunkenness in Europe. There is evidence of a narrowing gap between binge drinking boys, and binge drinking girls. The numbers of under 18 year olds entering hospital with alcohol-related conditions has leapt to more than 8,000 for 2006/2007.

Alcohol and the Economy. Alcohol misuses costs the economy up to Gbp 6.4 billion in lost productivity through workplace accidents, absenteeism and reduced employment.

ENDS

For press enquiries please contact Frank Soodeen at the Alcohol Concern Press Office on 0207 395 4003 or 07866063013, or email press@alcoholconcern.org.uk.

Notes to editors
Alcohol Concern is the national agency working to reduce alcohol related harm in society. We work to reduce the incidence and costs of alcohol-related harm and to increase the range and quality of alcohol services available to problem drinkers and their families.

Matthew Taylor has been Chief Executive of the RSA since November 2006. Prior to this he was Chief Adviser on Political Strategy to the Prime Minister. He was also Director of the Institute for Public Policy Resarch (IPPR), one of Britains leading think tanks between 1999 and 2003.

Deborah Arnott has been the Director of ASH, one of the UK's leading campaigning charities, since May 2003.Previously Head of Consumer Education for the Financial Services Authority (FSA), she has a varied background including experience as a journalist both in print and in television. As a producer director and then programme editor in factual programmes for London Weekend Television she developed and launched a wide range of programmes.

Nick Starling is Director of General Insurance at the Association of British Insurers (ABI). He joined ABI in January 2005 from the Health and Safety Executive, where he was Board Member and Director of Policy Programmes. His earlier career was in the Department of Transport, where he held a wide range of policy posts, primarily in aviation, highways and railways, and as Private Secretary to the Minister for Roads and Traffic.

Andrew McCulloch is Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation. Prior to his appointment, McCulloch had been Director of Policy at The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health for 6 years. Andrew was also a senior civil servant in the Department of Health for 16 years and was responsible for mental health and learning disabilities policy from 1992 to 1996.

Alison Benjamin is deputy editor of SocietyGuardian. She joined the Guardian four years ago after a number of years as a freelance writer specialising in social housing, the voluntary sector and corporate social responsibility. She also edited Corporate Citizen, a journal examining businesses' role in society.

Srabani Sen joined Alcohol Concern as Chief Executive in 2004. Her professional background is in communications and public affairs, working in the voluntary and public sectors. Prior to joining Alcohol Concern, Srabani was Acting Director of Nations, Regions and Campaigning for Diabetes UK. Her role there involved shaping how the organisation influenced the delivery of improved services for people with diabetes by the NHS.

Date: 12 April 2007