Smoking and Alcohol

House of Lords written question – answered at on 22 November 2010.

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Photo of Lord Willis of Knaresborough Lord Willis of Knaresborough Liberal Democrat

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the cost to the National Health Service each year of treating individuals with alcohol- or tobacco-related diseases.

Photo of Earl Howe Earl Howe The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health

The department does not maintain an annual record of the cost to the National Health Service of treating people with alcohol or tobacco-related diseases.

However, the department reviewed the cost of alcohol-related harm to the NHS in 2008. The cost of alcohol misuse to the NHS in England was estimated to be £2.7 billion per year for 2006-07 (The Cost of alcohol harm to the NHS, Department of Health, 2008, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library).

Academic research has indicated that the direct cost to the NHS of treating people with tobacco-related illnesses in England is £2.7 billion per annum (Callum C. (2008). Estimating the cost of smoking to the NHS in England and the impact of declining prevalencein Health Economics, Policy and Law. This report is available online at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&pdftype=1&fid=7879505&jid= HEP&volumeId=-1&issueId=&aid=7879503.

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