Bill moves forward with enough clout to tackle most problems

Published on Wednesday 23 December 2009 21:41

MEASURES to target the discounting of alcohol formed a core part of the SNP's health policy, after it was elected in 2007.

Minimum pricing, which was formally introduced a year later and is seen as a key tool in improving the nation's health, would see a compulsory base price attached to every 10ml of pure alcohol sold.

Two years in the making, and published in November, the bill has provoked an angry reaction from retailers, business organisations and the drinks industry, who claim it would disadvantage the Scotch whisky industry.

They claimed it could lead to job losses among the whisky sector as foreign governments used the scheme to excuse the introduction of punitive excise duties on Scotch exports.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were early opponents of the move, with the Tories proposing controlling the sale of problem drinks, such as tonic wine and strong cider, by the use of targeted taxation.

In March, plans to bring forward the measures, using powers already in the hands of the Scottish Government, were stymied, when opposition MSPs forced the SNP to formulate primary legislation to introduce minimum pricing. The government hoped to tag the measure on to the 2005 Licensing Act, forcing off-licences to introduce it immediately.

It was thought this was a tactic to enable ministers to avoid any complicated legal arguments.

Despite being part of the coalition that defeated this move, the Labour Party remained vague on whether it supported the proposals, and this continued until last month when it revealed its opposition in favour of examining other measures to tackle the problems. They called for the introduction of a commission to investigate other ways Scotland's drink problem could be tackled.

The proposals also faced significant legal challenges. The drinks lobby claimed its introduction would conflict with EU law, and earlier this year pointed to an opinion that seemed to suggest imposing a minimum price on tobacco broke competition law.

The Scottish Government insisted the ruling was "irrelevant", and ministers stoked some controversy as they refused to release legal advice it said supported its claims that the measure would be compatible with European rules.

But the measures received strong support from healthcare professionals throughout the life of the debate. They are supported by the BMA, Royal College of Physicians and the Faculty of Public Health.

Health experts claimed the move was vital to help fight the rising toll of alcohol-related deaths in Scotland. Some called for the unit price to be set even higher than the Scottish Government's favoured option – 40p – in order to discourage problem consumption.

The Alcohol Bill will now move forward without its flagship measure and has a strong chance of being passed.

Even without minimum pricing, the bill contains some significant measures to help tackle Scotland's love affair with drink, measures supported across Holyrood. It will give local licensing boards the power to tackle problem drinking by banning offers, such as buy-one-get-one-free, and huge discounts. Councils will also be granted powers to increase the minimum age for buying alcohol to 21 and levy a "social responsibility fee" on retailers selling alcohol in areas with problems with antisocial behaviour.