News updates: New arrest referral pilots; Public Health minister speaks; Scotland's minimum price?; alcohol sponsorship in sports

9 new arrest referral pilots announced

The Home Office is providing £1 million funding for a further nine pilots that will mean those arrested for alcohol-related offences will be referred for one or two sessions aiming to reduce their alcohol misuse. The pilots are aimed at non-dependant 'binge drinkers' who commit offences, contributing to the estimated £7.3 billion cost of alcohol related crime and disorder. For more details and the 9 pilot areas see a Home Office press release. A BBC report on the scheme can be found here.

Public Health Minister announces resources at 3rd national alcohol conference

The MP Rt Hon Dawn Primorolo, the minister for Public Health, recently spoke at the 3rd national alcohol conference and announced the governments commitments to supporting work and resources to continue to address alcohol related harm. You can read the full speech here, announcing key points including:

• 99 PCTs and 73 local authorities have made alcohol a priority, either in their local operating plans or local area agreements
• The announcement of the new Alcohol Improvement Programme
• Regional Alcohol Managers to be ‘partnership champions’ in helping PCTs make the right connections with SHAs, and providing a clear point of co-ordination to collaborate on the key indicators
• The announcement of those PCTs selected as Early Implementation sites receiving additional monies to trail blaze new approaches

Scotland may move first on minimum pricing

A BBC article has reported that the Scottish Justice Secretary has pledged to bring in minimum pricing to stop cut-price selling of alcohol in supermarkets and other irresponsible promotions. Kenny McAskill announced: "There's been clear evidence from academics from other countries that bringing minimum pricing can actually stop the abuse of alcohol." Meanwhile in England the government still seems to be reflecting on whether it will take the same route, pending the second part of the University of Sheffield Review (part 1) on the impact of price and promotion.

The Scottish government also published the full list of consultation responses to their national alcohol strategy.

Alcohol sports sponsorship directly linked to hazardous drinking

A report by the University of Manchester has found a direct link between alcohol sponsorship in the sports industry and hazardous drinking among sportspeople. Professor Ian Gilmore, President of the Royal College of Physicians and chair of the UK Alcohol Health Alliance said: "Alcohol producers and retailers have worked long and hard to align themselves to the positive and healthy image of sport, and we now have evidence that this is not only proving effective but also potentially damaging to those that participate. Some countries like France have already banned alcohol-related sports sponsorship and it is time we had that debate in the UK". Source: Medical News Today.