Do you think 'white lies' are acceptable?

A bit of context for this:

My partner for the life of him tells repetitive white lies when he goes out drinking. I never deprive him of a night out I just like to know when he'd be home as I have to stay awake to let him inside the flat.

His most common lies are:

1. "I'm only going out for 2 or 3 pints, I wont be getting drunk" - he comes home drunk and has obviously had more than 2 or 3

2. "I'll be home before 10" - I phone him at 10:05, not to be nagging but to find out how long he'll be due to me staying up to wait for him. I've also been off work the last 2 days due to chest pains/issues, doctors have diagnosed but that's irrelevant to this. He said to his mates he has me at home ill and doesn't want to leave me long - I have other health problems and this chest issue only triggers them further.

So my question is I guess: do white lies really matter? Are they acceptable? Should we tolerate them?