2. What is the Welsh Government doing to tackle alcohol abuse? OAQ52333

We are investing almost £50 million a year in our substance misuse agenda and, within this, we are undertaking a range of actions to tackle alcohol abuse. That includes supporting services that are commissioned by area planning boards, and also, of course, this afternoon, introducing the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill.

Thank you, First Minister. Last week, Gwent Police announced the introduction of a scheme where first-time offenders for low-level crimes, including 'drunk and disorderly', will be given a chance to attend a course rather than face court. The course will be offered to individuals at the discretion of the police and no cost to the public, rather like the speed awareness course. Gwent Police are the first force in Wales to offer such a scheme as part of their wider strategy to tackle alcohol problems, reduce reoffending and ease pressure on the criminal justice system. Gwent Drug and Alcohol Service, a charity providing support and advice for individuals and families, have welcomed this scheme. Can the First Minister set out how the Welsh Government is supporting substance misuse services to increase awareness of the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption? And how will the Welsh Government work with the police and others to reduce alcohol-related crime? 

I think that's a very good idea. When I first started, many years ago, as a lawyer, it was often the case that where we had two young men—it was inevitably young men—who might have been fighting with each other in drink on the Kingsway in Swansea, which in those days was quite a venue for such things, if it was felt they wouldn't trouble the police or the courts again, they were often bound over, which meant they didn't have a criminal conviction. They were scared, frankly; it scared them from coming back into court and it was, in effect, a way of ensuring their good behaviour. This goes a step further, because it helps people to understand the effects of alcohol and alcohol abuse. In some ways I suppose it's the extension to speed awareness courses, which  people—not myself I add, but some people—have found themselves part of. It's a good way of educating people. If we can educate people out of behaviour then that's better than punishing them without addressing the root cause of that behaviour.

In April, it was announced that an alcohol ban will be trialled in a section of the Principality Stadium of Wales during the autumn rugby internationals. This follows complaints about the behaviour of drunk people spoiling games for other fans, which concluded that 87 per cent were being subjected to a tirade of verbal abuse. Will the First Minister join me in welcoming this move to tackle alcohol abuse at rugby internationals? And will he commit to discussing this with other sporting bodies with a view to extending the ban to other sports and venues where alcohol abuse is a problem in Wales? 

I think there are two issues here in the stadium: first of all, the behaviour of some supporters. Drunkenness has been part of crowds for many, many decades. That's not an excuse, of course, for the way some people behave. If people behave in a way that is obnoxious or breaches public order, then stewards should be informed and those people should be warned, and, if they don't take heed of the warning, removed from the ground. The second point is that many people complain that they're up and down on their feet all the time as people go back and fore to the bars in order to buy alcohol. It seems to me that people don't need to buy alcohol throughout the game in order to enjoy the game, and I think this is an important pilot—if I can call it that—that's being pioneered in order to see what the effect will be.