Skip to main content

Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Volume 501: debated on Tuesday 24 November 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people working in (a) pubs, (b) bars and (c) nightclubs have been prosecuted for selling alcohol to underage persons in each of the last five years; (300350)

(2) how many (a) shop and (b) supermarket workers have been prosecuted for selling alcohol to underage persons in each of the last five years.

[holding answer 23 November 2009]: Data showing the number of males, females and other defendants proceeded against for selling alcohol to persons aged under 18, in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007 (latest available) are shown in Table 1.

Establishments are included as other defendants, it is not possible to differentiate between sales on and off premises in the court proceedings database.

Table 2 shows the number of penalty notices for disorder issued for “Sale of alcohol to a person aged under 18” by gender from 2004 to 2007 (latest available).

Statistics for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.

Table 1: Number of males, females and other defendants1 proceeded against at magistrates court for selling alcohol to persons aged under 182, in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007, broken down by police force area3,4

Force

Sex

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Avon and Somerset

Male

1

7

2

Female

7

3

1

Other defendant

1

Total

2

14

5

1

Bedfordshire

Male

1

5

10

23

2

Female

1

2

1

Other defendant

Total

2

7

10

24

2

Cambridgeshire

Male

3

6

16

8

Female

1

3

11

2

Other defendant

Total

4

9

27

10

Cheshire

Male

8

14

4

6

6

Female

7

6

4

Other defendant

1

Total

16

20

8

6

6

Cleveland

Male

1

6

11

8

8

Female

1

4

3

3

5

Other defendant

2

Total

4

10

14

11

13

Cumbria

Male

1

1

2

1

1

Female

6

Other defendant

Total

1

1

8

1

1

Derbyshire

Male

27

18

9

7

6

Female

10

4

4

1

1

Other defendant

Total

37

22

13

8

7

Devon and Cornwall

Male

7

5

4

3

Female

5

3

2

2

Other defendant

Total

—-

12

8

6

5

Dorset

Male

7

6

30

6

2

Female

2

4

5

1

Other defendant

Total

9

10

35

7

2

Durham

Male

2

2

1

Female

2

Other defendant

Total

2

2

3

Essex

Male

4

1

8

14

12

Female

3

1

2

2

Other defendant

Total

7

2

8

16

14

Gloucestershire

Male

1

4

9

3

Female

1

1

Other defendant

Total

1

5

10

3

Male

85

124

81

111

30

Greater Manchester

Female

40

55

36

48

5

Other defendant

4

1

1

Total

129

180

117

160

35

Hampshire

Male

6

7

2

4

Female

3

4

Other defendant

Total

9

11

2

4

Hertfordshire

Male

1

7

3

40

21

Female

1

2

Other defendant

1

Total

1

8

3

40

24

Humberside

Male

3

2

3

2

Female

8

3

3

Other defendant

Total

11

2

6

5

Kent

Male

9

10

13

2

2

Female

3

3

1

Other defendant

2

Total

12

15

14

2

2

Lancashire

Male

15

14

49

22

24

Female

8

8

40

10

3

Other defendant

Total

23

22

89

32

27

Leicestershire

Male

9

9

21

35

40

Female

6

6

10

15

Other defendant

1

Total

15

10

27

45

55

Lincolnshire

Male

9

3

7

5

2

Female

8

1

4

5

1

Other defendant

Total

17

4

11

10

3

Merseyside

Male

25

13

12

12

21

Female

16

6

4

22

7

Other defendant

1

Total

42

19

16

34

28

Metropolitan Police

Male

84

133

223

197

136

Female

13

22

28

24

18

Other defendant

16

12

2

15

22

Total

113

167

253

236

176

Norfolk

Male

1

6

1

Female

3

3

1

Other defendant

Total

1

9

3

2

North Yorkshire

Male

3

16

2

25

16

Female

4

6

1

16

13

Other defendant

27

Total

7

22

3

68

29

Northamptonshire

Male

7

11

7

Female

4

2

Other defendant

Total

11

13

7

Northumbria

Male

31

36

65

30

8

Female

7

14

14

10

4

Other defendant

1

1

Total

38

51

79

41

12

Nottinghamshire

Male

5

6

26

3

Female

4

5

11

2

Other defendant

Total

9

11

37

5

South Yorkshire

Male

4

11

8

4

Female

1

7

2

3

Other defendant

2

Total

5

18

10

9

Staffordshire

Male

3

5

14

13

16

Female

5

6

10

10

Other defendant

Total

8

5

20

23

26

Suffolk

Male

1

1

2

Female

2

2

Other defendant

Total

1

3

4

Surrey

Male

4

9

12

17

3

Female

1

1

1

2

Other defendant

Total

4

10

13

18

5

Sussex

Male

7

3

2

23

8

Female

1

1

2

9

3

Other defendant

1

Total

8

4

4

33

11

Thames Valley

Male

2

19

6

28

14

Female

4

8

9

8

6

Other defendant

1

Total

6

28

15

36

20

Warwickshire

Male

19

17

5

2

1

Female

7

9

2

Other defendant

1

Total

27

26

7

2

1

West Mercia

Male

7

3

17

10

5

Female

1

2

Other defendant

1

Total

7

5

19

10

5

West Midlands

Male

20

34

53

55

40

Female

11

22

18

16

Other defendant

1

1

1

Total

20

45

76

74

57

West Yorkshire

Male

1

17

9

14

8

Female

4

6

3

1

Other defendant

1

Total

2

21

15

17

9

Wiltshire

Male

4

5

16

9

5

Female

1

3

7

1

1

Other defendant

1

2

Total

6

10

23

10

6

Dyfed-Powys

Male

5

15

4

12

6

Female

9

2

4

4

Other defendant

2

3

Total

5

24

6

18

13

Gwent

Male

8

13

14

8

Female

2

12

3

6

5

Other defendant

1

Total

2

20

16

21

13

North Wales

Male

4

3

8

3

6

Female

3

2

2

1

2

Other defendant

Total

7

5

10

4

8

South Wales

Male

24

27

40

56

22

Female

5

6

15

15

4

Other defendant

1

1

3

Total

29

34

55

72

29

England and Wales

Male

427

614

807

883

515

Female

161

225

274

266

146

Other defendant

28

22

3

50

32

Total

616

861

1,084

1,199

693

1 Other defendants include companies and public bodies etc.

2 Includes the following offences:

(a) Holder of occasional permission or his agent knowingly selling to, knowingly allow consumption by or allowing any person to sell, intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. Selling etc intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises.

(b) Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18.

(c ) Sale of alcohol to person under 18.

(d) Allowing sale of alcohol to person under 18.

(e) Persistently selling alcohol to children.

3 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

4 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police force. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source:

Evidence and Analysis Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Ref: IOS 043-09

Table 2: Number of penalty notices for disorder (PNDs) issued for sale of alcohol to a person under 18, England and Wales, 20041 to 2007, broken down by police force area

Force

Sex

2004

2005

2006

2007

Avon and Somerset

Male

29

25

33

Female

27

29

27

Total

56

54

60

Bedfordshire

Male

1

6

10

Female

1

7

3

Total

2

13

13

Cambridgeshire

Male

8

14

16

Female

3

15

6

Total

11

29

22

Cheshire

Male

21

19

19

Female

28

31

7

Total

49

50

26

Cleveland

Male

10

10

27

Female

23

13

38

Total

33

23

65

Cumbria

Male

10

11

13

Female

13

10

27

Total

23

21

40

Derbyshire

Male

5

16

50

Female

3

14

51

Total

8

30

101

Devon and Cornwall

Male

32

54

31

Female

50

61

38

Total

82

115

69

Dorset

Male

13

3

9

20

Female

9

19

20

15

Total

22

22

29

35

Durham

Male

1

12

Female

13

Total

1

25

Essex

Male

3

60

42

53

Female

4

60

52

58

Total

7

120

94

111

Gloucestershire

Male

17

28

44

Female

25

26

42

Total

42

54

86

Greater Manchester

Male

60

122

98

Female

67

89

43

Total

127

211

141

Hampshire

Male

1

31

57

114

Female

1

36

52

91

Total

2

67

109

205

Hertfordshire

Male

2

30

46

Female

1

11

21

Total

3

41

67

Humberside

Male

1

13

22

46

Female

1

32

26

52

Total

2

45

48

98

Kent

Male

8

3

16

Female

2

2

7

Total

10

5

23

Lancashire

Male

17

95

105

100

Female

13

95

101

90

Total

30

190

206

190

Leicestershire

Male

2

22

26

89

Female

24

33

61

Total

2

46

59

150

Lincolnshire

Male

10

21

15

Female

16

36

39

Total

26

57

54

Merseyside

Male

2

44

56

72

Female

29

71

103

Total

2

73

127

175

Metropolitan Police

Male

12

113

190

264

Female

9

48

62

77

Total

21

161

252

341

Norfolk

Male

5

17

Female

5

19

Total

10

36

Northamptonshire

Male

1

15

18

15

Female

24

16

7

Total

1

39

34

22

Northumbria

Male

1

24

47

44

Female

24

37

23

Total

1

48

84

67

North Yorkshire

Male

4

8

Female

7

17

Total

11

25

Nottinghamshire

Male

3

54

125

81

Female

6

63

140

87

Total

9

117

265

168

South Yorkshire

Male

1

47

76

69

Female

1

60

82

90

Total

2

107

158

159

Staffordshire

Male

6

34

32

Female

13

41

35

Total

19

75

67

Suffolk

Male

11

14

7

Female

8

7

13

Total

19

21

20

Surrey

Male

22

57

Female

12

15

Total

34

72

Sussex

Male

29

116

63

Female

34

100

56

Total

63

216

119

Thames Valley

Male

8

59

80

Female

4

36

51

Total

12

95

131

Warwickshire

Male

3

1

24

Female

4

13

Total

3

5

37

West Mercia

Male

1

4

11

16

Female

18

23

20

Total

1

22

34

36

West Midlands

Male

2

69

83

90

Female

4

45

60

45

Total

6

114

143

135

West Yorkshire

Male

4

32

64

97

Female

40

41

64

Total

4

72

105

161

Wiltshire

Male

5

9

15

Female

3

9

9

Total

8

18

24

Dyfed-Powys

Male

6

5

9

Female

12

4

11

Total

18

9

20

Gwent

Male

9

27

37

Female

11

23

34

Total

20

50

71

North Wales

Male

1

20

41

29

Female

38

42

34

Total

1

58

83

63

South Wales

Male

70

67

28

Female

53

50

25

Total

123

117

53

England and Wales

Male

62

1,006

1,695

2,006

Female

51

1,052

1,500

1,577

Total

113

2,058

3,195

3,583

1 This PND offence was added to the scheme on 1 November 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people under the age of 18 years have been arrested for alcohol-related acts of disorder or violence in each of the last five years. (300352)

[holding answer 23 November 2009]: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.

The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. It is not possible to identify the number of arrests made for alcohol related acts of disorder or violence from the data on arrests reported to the Home Office.