Call for minimum pricing of alcoholic drinks

December 19, 2007: Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) has called on the Scottish Government to use the provisions of the new licensing legislation to establish minimum prices for alcoholic drinks.

The report estimates that a 10% rise in alcohol price would save the lives of 479 Scottish men and 265 women every year. It includes the findings of a workshop attended by experts, including health economists, from Scotland, England and Ireland to consider action that government can take on alcohol pricing to reduce the current levels of alcohol-related harm.

Alcohol: Price, Policy and Public Health cites international evidence that establishes a link between alcohol consumption and harm and identifies controls on price and availability as among the most effective policy options available to government to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Dr Bruce Ritson, chair of SHAAP, said: “We believe that setting minimum prices could save the lives of almost 750 Scots every year. No single policy initiative will solve all the alcohol problems in our society, but price is a significant factor in rising consumption levels and associated harm.

"But more importantly, it is an area in which government action could make a real difference in reducing alcohol harm in Scotland, which is costing us over £1 billion pounds every year.

“The purpose of alcohol policy is to reduce levels of harm which are widely recognised as being much too high. The government has rightly identified alcohol as Scotland’s leading public health priority. We urge the Scottish government to implement the action outlined in the report today."

Other recommendations in the report call on the Scottish Government to:

l End irresponsible alcohol promotions in all licensed premises in Scotland

l Make representation to Westminster to increase alcohol duty and link alcohol taxes to inflation

l Make representation to Westminster to link levels of taxation to alcohol strength

l Consider whether there is a need for an independent regulatory body to protect the health of the nation in relation to alcohol.

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and convener of the UK Alcohol Health Alliance, welcomed the recommendations in the report. He said: “As Scotland led the way in smoke-free policies and also by embedding a public health principle in the new licensing legislation, we await with interest the response of the Scottish Government.”

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