Commission on Alcohol Harm

The Alcohol Health Alliance is the secretariat for the Commission on Alcohol Harm.

This means the Alcohol Health Alliance helps to organise meetings and mobilise Commissioners to take action on alcohol harm.

What is the Commission on Alcohol Harm?

The Commission on Alcohol Harm was established in 2020 to examine the current evidence on alcohol harm and the changes needed to reduce this harm.

The Commission is chaired by Baroness Finlay and supported by a panel of cross-party Parliamentarians, clinicians and experts from relevant fields.

The final report

The findings of the Commission were published in the 2020 report ‘It’s Everywhere’ – alcohol’s public face and private harm.

read the report

Commissioners

Chair

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff

Parliamentary Commissioners

Baroness Boycott

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe

Dan Carden MP

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington

Baroness Jolly

Kenny MacAskill MP

Lord Ribeiro CBE, FRCS

Derek Thomas MP

Subject Experts

Crispin Acton, Expert Advisor, Institute of Alcohol Studies; formerly at Department of Health

Hardyal Dhindsa, Police and Crime Commissioner for Derbyshire; Lead for Alcohol and Substance Misuse, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners

Prof Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair, Alcohol Health Alliance UK

Prof Martin McKee CBE, FMedSci, Professor of European Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Prof John Newton, Director of Health Improvement, Public Health England

Paul Ogden, Senior Advisor, Public Health and Equalities, Local Government Association

Prof Keith Humphreys, Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University; Honorary Professor of Psychiatry, King’s College London

Prof Jonathan Shepherd CBE, FMedSci, Crime and Security Research Institute, Cardiff University

We need to finally acknowledge the true scale of the harm caused by alcohol, which goes far beyond individuals who drink, and put the responsibility squarely with the harmful product itself.

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff

Recommendations of the Commission on Alcohol Harm

Following the testimony of those with lived experience and an examination of over 140 submissions of written evidence, the final report of the Commission on Alcohol Harm called for a comprehensive new alcohol strategy.

The strategy must take account of the best available evidence and include population-level measures to reduce harm from alcohol. Its development must be free from influence by the alcohol industry.

Commissioners also highlighted the need for a change in culture around alcohol. They recommended that the new alcohol strategy should include a focus on reducing stigma for those who are concerned about their drinking, and their families.

The ongoing work of the Commission on Alcohol Harm

Since the publication of the It’s Everywhere report, Commissioners have been working to raise awareness about the devastating impact that alcohol harm is having on communities across the UK.

In April 2021, a debate was held in the House of Lords about the Commission’s report. Baroness Finlay outlined the recommendations of the Commission – starting with the urgent need for an alcohol strategy.

 “I pay tribute to Baroness Finlay and her team for spearheading the excellent report of the Commission on Alcohol Harm.”

Lord Bethell, responding minister

Following the evidence that the Commission received about the relationship between domestic abuse and alcohol, Commissioners were actively involved in debates around the Domestic Abuse Bill and tabled amendments to highlight the link. Because of this work, the new draft statutory guidance now includes specialist alcohol support.

The Commission is currently calling on the Government to publish the delayed alcohol labelling consultation. Better alcohol labelling is an important step in helping consumers make informed choices about their drinking.