Lack of drink price holding up challenge

THE legality of the SNP government’s alcohol crackdown will remain in doubt unless ministers name the minimum price they intend to impose on drink, parliamentary legal officers have concluded.

A paper circulated to MSPs this week says health secretary Nicola Sturgeon is “postponing” the question of whether the bill is legally competent by not naming the exact price she intends to set. That will be decided in secondary legislation further down the line, under her plans.

The move has been criticised by opponents of the proposals, who last night urged her to name the price on the front of the bill to see if it met European Union laws on free trade.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The paper, written by Holyrood officials, declares that the question of whether minimum pricing is compatible with EU law “can only be answered when the minimum unit price is set”.

It goes on: “In postponing the operation of minimum pricing until the power to specify the MPU is exercised, the determination of the fundamental question of whether the Scottish Government’s current proposals for minimum pricing are within the legislative competence of the parliament is also postponed.”

A Labour spokesman said last night: “Nicola Sturgeon must stop prevaricating and come clean about what is the Scottish Government’s the intended minimum price.”