𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The Government has given an update over plans which could impact anyone buying alcohol from supermarkets online. Concern has been raised at chains such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi, Asda, Lidl and Waitrose selling alcohol online, potentially causing people harm.

And in a new statement the Home Office said it was set to hold a meeting to discuss possible ‘solutions’ which could cause changes for anyone buying booze online. In a new Parliamentary written question, Liberal Democrat Helen Maguire asks the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Shabana Mahmood: “What assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing alcohol blocks on delivery service apps and supermarket accounts.”

And in answer Sarah Jones Minister of State for Policing and Crime explained how changes to how people were buying alcohol – and that changes were being considered: “he Licensing Act 2003 regulates the sale and supply of alcohol. The Government recognises that consumer purchasing habits have evolved in recent years, particularly with a notable growth in alcohol sales made via online platforms and rapid delivery services.

“The Department for Health and Social Care, which has responsibility for policy on health harms, and the Home Office are looking at how current licensing rules apply to these services and monitoring emerging evidence on the impact they may be having on people’s health. I am clear that we will act where necessary to protect public safety.

“To this end, I will shortly hold a roundtable jointly with the Minister for Public Health and Prevention to consider solutions with healthcare professionals and experts in the field.”

A report previously warned that significant numbers of children and young people are turning to online supermarket grocery services to buy alcohol. Alcohol Concern Cymru found that 15% of 14 to 17-year-olds surveyed had purchased alcoholic drinks online.

The majority said it was “easy” to do and an effective way to bypass age verification checks. These findings follow an exercise by South Wales Police in which 15 year olds were able to buy alcohol from major supermarket grocery websites. It found that alcohol could be bought online from these sites with ease.

The teenagers were able to purchase alcohol if they agreed to the website terms and conditions and possessed a debit card and email address. In 44% of the test cases, alcohol was then handed to the underage test purchasers in person without any requests for proof of age, despite published supermarket policies which state they will not deliver to under 18s.

A spokeperson for Alcohol Concern, said: “The process of purchasing alcohol online, for example via supermarket websites, is unique in that the sale is made in private and with relative anonymity, away from traditional retail premises.

“Young people have told us that these sites offer less robust age verification practices and provide a quick and easy way to get hold of alcohol, especially for younger teenagers who would likely have greater difficulty in buying alcohol in person from in-store at a supermarket or off-licence.

“Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity like other household goods we buy. It’s a potentially addictive and harmful substance, especially for the young, and should be sold and distributed as such.

“Retailers offering home delivery services need to toughen up their processes to ensure that children and young people are prevented from accessing alcohol through this channel.”

Alcohol Concern was calling for supermarkets, and other off-trade retailers that provide an alcohol home delivery service, to review their existing age checking procedures to determine whether they are fit for purpose, and ensure in particular that delivery staff are given robust training in procedures relating to requesting and identifying proof of age. The charity also recommends more widespread test purchasing by police and trading standards to assess the true extent of the problem.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, a former president of the Royal Society of Medicine, said: “It’s clearly worrying that children and young people in Wales may be able to access alcohol in this way. Alcohol retailers need to improve their procedures to ensure that alcohol is sold and delivered to adults only.”

A Home Office spokesman said at the time: “We all need to help tackle underage drinking – the police, the public, parents, and the shops and off-licences who sell alcohol. The Government will not tolerate under-age selling. It is the responsibility of retailers to ensure those being sold alcohol online are old enough. The law has been toughened so those who persistently sell alcohol to children now face a £20,000 fine.”