PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS (23 November 2015)

That this House notes that alcohol harm costs the UK £21 billion a year; further notes that alcohol misuse is now Britain's third biggest health problem after smoking and obesity, costing the NHS alone £3.5 billion a year; recognises that just one in 20 dependent drinkers receives treatment; believes that all too often the 2.6 million children of hazardous drinkers are forgotten; notes that children of hazardous drinkers suffer a range of mental health issues, are more likely to consider suicide, are more prone to eating disorders and are far more likely than most to become alcoholics themselves; and calls on the Government to bring in a strategy to help children of alcoholics, specifying concrete steps by which public agencies should identify children of alcoholics in order to connect them with sources of support and to undertake a public information campaign aimed at parents who are hazardous drinkers, warning them of the risks to their children's health and to ensure that the right provision is in place in every part of Britain that will provide treatment to parents seeking help with alcohol dependence.

Sponsored by:
Liam Byrne (Labour)