Changes in licensing law in England and Wales and indicators of alcohol-related problems

Trends in alcohol-related problems a ere examined in the light of the 1988 amendments to the Licensing Act in England & Wales. Data concerning accidents and absenteeism in the workplace, road traffic accidents, drunken driving and criminal offences were collected and compared with control data obtained from Scotland. The data were analysed by fitting either a logistic or loglinear model as appropriate using the GLIM statistical software package. After accounting for economic factors, significant changes in the levels of certain alcohol problem indicators were observed. In several instances these changes related to an increased risk in Scotland and were clearly not a result of the liberalisation of licensing hours in England & Wales. Reports of non-sexual crimes of violence and slight accidents in the workplace have increased in England and Wales concurrently with the law change but the causal relationship, if any, remains a matter of speculation.