Decanter World Wine AwardsScottish parliament prepares for minimum pricing legal challenge
- Tuesday 3 January 2012
- Comments (3)
Responding to a question from Labour MSP Kezia Dugdale, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon told a Holyrood committee that it was ‘almost certain’ that the plans will be challenged in the Scottish courts.
‘Any piece of legislation that this parliament passes is potentially subject to legal challenge,’ she said.
‘I work on the basis there will be a legal challenge. My job is to make sure that we have legislation that can meet that challenge, and I am confident that it can.’
Plans to introduce minimum pricing in Scotland, which are designed to tackle the country’s alcohol-related health and social issues, have been described as ineffective and probably illegal by the Scotch Whisky Association.
They also believe the policy is ‘misguided’ when alcohol-related health problems and deaths are already falling in Scotland.
Meanwhile, a new survey suggests that the number of Scottish teenagers who have consumed alcohol has declined in the past couple of years.
According to the Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey, conducted in 2010, 44% of 13-year-olds said they have consumed alcohol at least once, compared to 52% in 2008.
For 15-year-olds, the figure was 77% – down from 82% – but there was increase in the numbers who had had a drink in the past week.
Have your say!
Gladis
March 12 11:15
I support the cpcoent of Minimum Pricing but do urge caution on its implementation should it ever be that it isn't just another Knee-Jerk Labour response to alcohol. The issue of Minimum Pricing isn't necessarily that of curbing binge drinking as even if you brought in a minimum 50p per unit price it wouldn't actually see supermarket prices rise that dramatically. It would, however, force the off-trade to sell at a more responsible price, rather than using alcohol as a loss-leader. It might also make pre-loading a less attractive cpcoent, although this is as measurable as binge drinking Minimum Pricing, however, would make bars, pubs and clubs take more responsibility in their offers rather than ladies drink all night for a fiver' and similar. The cpcoent of Minimum Pricing shouldn't be to penalise the drinker and shouldn't be implemented to force the price of a pint up in a pub, but it should be used to make certain unscrupulous retailers sell more responsibly. At the end of the day, though, it will just mean that supermarkets will still be able to sell cheaply, whilst making more money on the product than they currently do, so they still win!
S Connolly
January 04 12:13
There's a lot of misinformation about minimum pricing. It will not affect most drinkers, just those who drink the heavily discounted brands or cheap rubbish - the mainstay of alcoholics. It will save some lives without harming the vast majority.
D Munro
January 03 19:09
Falling because the Scottish Government banned BOGOF and equivalent from alcohol sales.
Whisky? What whisky will even be affected? Ah, the cheap crap which makes its money through selling to the poor.