An alcohol charity’s proposal that parents should be prosecuted for giving their children alcohol in the home has been dismissed as unworkable by the Government.

Alcohol experts and other campaign groups also said that it was counter-productive.

Alcohol Concern recommended that the age limit for drinking in private be raised from 5 to 15 in a report highlighting an increase in the amount drunk by 11 to 13-year-old girls. The group said that a change in legislation would signal to parents the seriousness of underage drinking.

The report, which used NHS figures first published last year, stated that girls in the age group who had drunk in the previous week said that they consumed slightly more than eight units last year. In 2000, that figure stood at below five. Boys who had drunk in the previous week were consuming 50 per cent more than in 2000.

Caroline Flint, the Public Health Minister, insisted that Britain had turned the corner in its fight against underage drinking and ruled out a change in the age limit.

“I don’t think passing a law to ban alcohol for those under 15 would be enforceable or necessarily effective”, she said.

Alcohol Focus Scotland said that it saw nothing wrong with giving children a small amount of alcohol in a responsible manner. Jack Law, Chief Executive, said: “People obviously enjoy drinking but they need to do it in a responsible fashion and show children how to drink responsibly.”

The charity also said that changing the age limit at which children can drink could backfire by giving alcohol a greater allure among youngsters. “It can lead to a kind of illusion about alcohol – that it’s some kind of a forbidden subject,” Mr Law said. “We know that this can be attractive. The best way of dealing with this kind of issue is to make sure parents are well-informed.”

Anne Fox, an anthropologist who has advised the Government on drinking culture, said that it had been proven that children who had grown up with alcohol as a part of normal life were less likely to develop problems. She told The Times: “To prosecute parents is a very, very ill-advised move. The only way children are going to learn sensible drinking is in the home. Better education is needed for parents in terms of what is a safe amount.”

Alcohol Concern’s call for a change in the drinking age limit came as Asda, the supermarket, announced that customers who look younger than 25 should expect to be asked for identification to prove their age if buying alcohol.

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