Labour Rejects Minimum Alcohol and Beer Pricing Plan

Thu, 21 Jan 2010

Labour has once again resisted calls to impose a minimum pricing on alcohol in Scotland, despite worrying new figures about the high level of alcohol consumption among Scots. New research analysed by NHS Health Scotland has revealed that Scottish adults consume 25 per cent more alcohol than the rest of the UK, with the average Scottish drinker aged over 18 putting away 26.5 units a week – the equivalent of three bottles of wine or 11 pints of beer . Over the course of a year, this equates to 46 bottles of vodka, or nearly 540 pints of beer.

By contrast, adults in England and Wales had an average intake of 21.8 units a week, just above the recommended weekly maximum. The difference is the equivalent to 2.5 pints of beer a week, or 2.5 large glasses of wine.

Ministers in Scotland argue the difference can be seen to coincide with a 70 per cent fall in alcohol’s relative cost. While pubs will welcome Labour’s decision, the Nationalist government wants to introduce a minimum price of 40 pence per 100 millilitres of alcohol. Ministers claim the minimum pricing wouldn’t affect many drinks, but would target cheap lager, cider and spirits in the supermarkets .
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