its ok for them coonts in their subsidised bars 
A DAMNING report by MPs will today accuse the Government of being "too close" to the drinks industry.
The House of Commons health select committee says advice on alcohol abuse is being ignored.
And it is demanding the minimum price per unit of alcohol be 40p, four times more than the current 10p.
The report, by the all-party group of MPs, blasts the Government, saying the drinks industry and supermarkets "hold more power over its alcohol policies than expert health professionals".
Gordon Brown last year rejected a call from The Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson to set a minimum price per unit of 50p.
That would have seen the cost of many beers and spirits double.
The PM said it would be unfair on the majority of responsible drinkers.
He also rejected new rules to limit cut-price "happy hour" offers in pubs and clubs for fear that it would harm businesses.
But the committee was told to look at the scale of ill-health related to alcohol misuse and the consequences for the NHS.
It found ?2.7billion a year goes on treating alcohol-related illnesses and injuries. That figure has doubled in five years.
Committee chairman Kevin Barron said youngsters of 12 and 13 were drinking cheap lager "on street corners virtually every night".
He said: "I agree that introducing unit pricing will reduce binge drinking. The facts about alcohol misuse are shocking.
"Successive governments have failed to tackle the problem. It is now time for bold government."
A DAMNING report by MPs will today accuse the Government of being "too close" to the drinks industry.
The House of Commons health select committee says advice on alcohol abuse is being ignored.
And it is demanding the minimum price per unit of alcohol be 40p, four times more than the current 10p.
The report, by the all-party group of MPs, blasts the Government, saying the drinks industry and supermarkets "hold more power over its alcohol policies than expert health professionals".
Gordon Brown last year rejected a call from The Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson to set a minimum price per unit of 50p.
That would have seen the cost of many beers and spirits double.
The PM said it would be unfair on the majority of responsible drinkers.
He also rejected new rules to limit cut-price "happy hour" offers in pubs and clubs for fear that it would harm businesses.
But the committee was told to look at the scale of ill-health related to alcohol misuse and the consequences for the NHS.
It found ?2.7billion a year goes on treating alcohol-related illnesses and injuries. That figure has doubled in five years.
Committee chairman Kevin Barron said youngsters of 12 and 13 were drinking cheap lager "on street corners virtually every night".
He said: "I agree that introducing unit pricing will reduce binge drinking. The facts about alcohol misuse are shocking.
"Successive governments have failed to tackle the problem. It is now time for bold government."
