Calls for higher alcohol unit price ahead of MUP introduction next May

Minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol will come into force on 1 May 2018.

Health Secretary Shona Robison updated MSPs on the plans and confirmed a consultation on the preferred minimum unit price of 50 pence will be published next week.

Ms Robison said: “There were 1,265 alcohol-related deaths last year, up 10 per cent on 2015, while just today we see statistics showing a two per cent annual increase in alcohol-related hospital stays.

“These numbers are completely unacceptable. Behind every one of these statistics is a person, a family and a community.

“With alcohol on sale today at just 18 pence a unit, we have to act to tackle the scourge of cheap, high-strength drink that causes so much damage.

“Research shows a minimum unit price of 50 pence would cut alcohol-related deaths by 392 and hospital admissions by 8,254 over the first five years of the policy.

“I anticipate setting the minimum unit price at 50 pence per unit. We now want to hear from retailers, representative bodies and Licensing Standards Officers about the practicalities of implementation.”

However, Dr Chris Holmes of Sheffield University, who undertook much of the initial research into MUP, told BBC Scotland there is now “certainly an argument for looking at a higher level” than 50p.

He said: “When we first did this work, around three-quarters of alcohol in Scotland was sold for less than 50p per unit; today it’s around half of all alcohol.

“So there is an argument that the Scottish government may want to look at whether and when to increase the minimum price threshold to ensure it retains its effectiveness.”