Parents who give alcohol to under-15s, even with a meal at home, should face prosecution, a charity claimed last night.
Parents who give alcohol to under-15s, even with a meal at home, should face prosecution, a charity claimed last night.
Alcohol Concern made the recommendation as part of proposals to cut child drinking. However, it was not whole-heartedly backed by experts north of the border.
The call from Alcohol Concern comes on the back of figures, first published in November by the NHS, which showed the amount of drink being consumed by 11 to 13-year-olds had rocketed.
Girls in the age group admitted consuming an average of just over eight units of alcohol in 2006, compared with just under five in 2000. Boys of the same age admitted drinking an average of 12 units last year compared with eight in 2000, according to the survey carried out by the NHS Information Centre.
An Alcohol Concern spokesman said: "Currently it is legal to provide children as young as five with alcohol in a private home.
"Raising the age limit to 15 would send a stronger message to parents that underage consumption is an important issue, and help them think about whether they are helping their child drink alcohol."
Srabani Sen, Alcohol Concern chief executive, claimed the report showed that society was not doing enough to protect children from alcohol.
"Binge drinking by children can have serious consequences for brain function and also significantly raises the risk of alcohol dependency in later life and diminishes their life chances," said Ms Sen.
Threatening parents who give alcohol to under-15s with prosecution was given a lukewarm response from senior Scottish alcohol experts.
Jack Law, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said the dangers of youngsters drinking was one which deserved to be highlighted and dealt with. However, he did not think having a set age limit was the way ahead.
"Good parenting is the answer," said Mr Law. "You would want parents to be responsible in introducing children to alcohol and I fear introducing legislation won't solve the problem.
"Clearly, immature bodies cannot deal with alcohol like adult bodies. Parents can maybe introduce their children to alcohol by offering them a diluted drink of it at a family meal to give them a taste.
"What is also very important is that the parents act responsibly themselves by not getting drunk in front of their children."
Tom Wood, chairman of the Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams, said the continental approach was a good one, where children were sometimes allowed to drink small amounts with a family meal.
Mr Wood said: "I totally agree with Alcohol Concern from the point of view that young people drinking to excess is a matter that has to be dealt with. However, I do not agree with setting an arbitrary age for prosecution of parents."
Joe Fattorini, The Herald wine columnist, believes there is no harm in giving children a taste. "As the father of four, I'm pretty cautious about how much wine my children have," said Mr Fattorini. "But remember the lesson of Paracelsus: The dose makes the poison.' My children enjoy just a sip of wine as we enjoy a family dinner and they might also have a small glass when the grandparents visit.
"My children know more than most that moderate, restrained drinking is normal. They see me surrounded by drink, but they've never seen me drunk."
