Scots health chiefs unite against cut-price booze

Published on Wednesday 23 December 2009 21:41

THE debate on minimum pricing for alcohol in Scotland was reignited yesterday as public health chiefs united to urge politicians to resurrect the controversial legislation.

A letter, signed by 17 directors of health, was sent to all 129 MSPs, calling on them to back the proposals, for "the sake of the health" of all Scots, despite a recent move in the Scottish Parliament that seemed to have doomed the measure to failure.

The news came as thousands of Scots flocked to supermarkets to stock up on alcoholic drinks for the festive period, encouraged by a bumper batch of discounts and special offers that will be banned by this time next year if plans in the Scottish Government's Alcohol Bill to stop "irresponsible" promotions are approved.

Last month, opposition MSPs joined forces to sink the part of the bill that would have introduced a minimum price per unit of alcohol. Labour claimed the proposals, which would have set a blanket base price per unit thought to be 40p, would do nothing to target drinks such as Buckfast.

The party also signalled its intention to introduce a commission to look at other ways that Scotland's alcohol problem could be addressed.

Despite widespread support from health professionals, that opposition appeared to have ended the SNP's hopes of enacting its flagship health policy – one it claims is necessary to save thousands of lives each year.

Yesterday, however, the debate sprang back to life, with the publication of a letter signed by the directors of public health from all 14 of Scotland's NHS boards, as well as the heads of Health Protection Scotland, NHS Health Scotland and the Scottish Prison Service's medical service.

The letter warned that alcohol was becoming more affordable in Scotland, as patterns of consumption moved from licensed premises, such as pubs, towards off-licence sales from shops and supermarkets.

They urged MSPs to put party politics aside for the sake of the nation's health by reinstating the minimum price scheme.

"Over the past 30 years in Scotland, our level of deaths directly caused by alcohol, conditions like alcoholic cirrhosis and alcoholic heart disease, has almost tripled," the letter said.

"One person in Scotland is dying every three hours of every day as a direct result of alcohol, many of them prematurely.

"We urge you to put the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland ahead of party politics."

The letter went on: "Minimum pricing and reduced discounting are ways of reducing alcohol consumption that do not require the approval of the Westminster parliament. For the sake of the health and social wellbeing of the people in Scotland, we encourage you to support these actions."

The health professionals' intervention was hailed by the SNP, which still hopes to persuade opposition MSPs to back the scheme. Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the bill represented a "once-in-a-generation" chance to turn around Scotland's drink problems.

"The 3,000 deaths, 42,000 hospital stays and 110,000 GP visits linked to alcohol annually are causing misery for families and communities, burdening our public services and sapping our economic potential," she said.

She was backed by SNP back-bencher Michael Matheson, who sits on Holyrood's health committee. He described the letter as "a significant show of support" for the Scottish Government's plans, then turned his fire on retailers.

"Our alcohol consumption is increasing and the relative cost of alcohol has decreased," he said. "Despite numerous opportunities, supermarkets have shown they will not act responsibly when it comes to price and alcohol. As the supermarkets will not take action, the government has no choice but to put in place a responsible price."

Further support came from Alcohol Focus Scotland, which said the health directors' plea reinforced the urgency of the matter. Its chief executive, Jack Law, said: "Enticing people with cheap alcohol is commonplace at this time of year. The introduction of minimum pricing would stop the irresponsibility of large retailers, who exploit the festive season to the detriment of Scotland's health and wellbeing."

But major supermarkets defended their marketing, with Tesco and Asda insisting they offered great value to customers.

A Tesco spokesman said: "Clubcard data clearly shows that the vast majority of Tesco shoppers buy alcohol as part of the weekly family shop and that when they buy bulk alcohol on promotion they do not buy again for some time – indicating that they stock up rather than drink more."

He added: "However, we do recognise concerns about the impact of price on consumption and have said we are willing to play an active and constructive part in government-led discussions."

Last month, the Conservatives, who back increased taxation on alcohol, accused the chairman of NHS Highland of campaigning on behalf of the SNP after he wrote asking for support for the plans.

Those accusations were echoed yesterday by the party's deputy leader, Murdo Fraser. "Some will question whether public servants should be backing one party's stance on this issue, especially one which has questionable legality and has not been endorsed by parliament." he said.

Labour's public health spokesman, Richard Simpson, said his party recognised the seriousness of Scotland's drink problem, but he added: "

Labour remains deeply concerned that these untested and untried proposals will place a significant burden on lower-income groups who are perfectly safe, moderate drinkers, and at the same time will increase revenue for supermarkets and reduce the taxation."