Bishop ChrisCHRIS BISHOP (National): It was an interesting debate that we had in the Justice and Electoral Committee. I just want to canvass the issue of whether or not low-alcohol products are additive or substitutive because we had a bit of a debate amongst the submitters and the members of the committee as to whether or not these low-alcohol products actually increased overall consumption and whether or not people who chose to drink low-alcohol beers were actually basically substituting those products for full-strength products. This was not I would say a topic of great substance at the committee. We heard one submission from Alcohol Healthwatch in opposition to the proposition that these products are substitutive. In fact Alcohol Healthwatch argued quite strongly—particularly in its oral submission—that we should be looking to reduce the availability of low-alcohol products. The reason it said that was that it believed there was not enough evidence to suggest that people were replacing full-strength products with low-alcohol products and because of that we might actually be increasing overall alcohol consumption notwithstanding the fact that alcohol consumption in New Zealand is actually at 30-year record lows. That actually belies the claim from people who should know better that we are in some epidemic of a drinking crisis or something like that. Actually alcohol consumption is at record lows. Youth drinking is at record lows as well. Youth binge drinking is at record lows. Youth drink-driving is at record lows. So actually the world is not going to hell in a handcart as some would like to have us believe. The committee rejected that proposition. Although the availability of low-strength alcohol products is a relatively new phenomenon we did hear evidence from the industry—from Lion Breweries and others—and from supermarkets that the category is growing exponentially. Certainly the anecdotal feedback when you are in the community is that there are people out there who are deliberately choosing to enjoy a low-strength alcohol product—a low-strength beer for example—when they go to a party because they are concerned about drink-driving they are concerned about the tougher penalties for drink-driving and the reduced blood-alcohol limits and because they want to be on their game or they have an event to attend.There is a lot of anecdotal evidence out there about people deliberately choosing to substitute a full-strength product with a low-strength product which is exactly why the category is growing so quickly and exactly why the bill has come before the House. We have this bizarre and abnormal situation as has been canvassed by many speakers previously where low-alcohol products cannot be placed with their substituted product which is the full-strength product. We need to sort that out and this is a bill that does exactly that.Clause 1 agreed to.Clause 2 agreed to.Clause 3 agreed to.Clause 3A agreed to.Clause 4 agreed to.Clause 5 agreed to.Bill to be reported without amendment presently.House resumed.The Chairperson reported the Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Amendment Bill with amendment the Wildlife (Powers) Amendment Bill without amendment the Charities Amendment Bill without amendment the Substance Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Bill with amendment and the Sale and Supply of Alcohol (Display of Low-alcohol Beverages and Other Remedial Matters) Amendment Bill without amendment.Report adopted.