Coalition Government outlines alcohol plans

The new Government has outlined its plans for alcohol policy in its latest document 'The coalition: our programme for government' [pdf]. It states:

• We will ban the sale of alcohol below cost price.
• We will review alcohol taxation and pricing to ensure it tackles binge drinking without unfairly penalising responsible drinkers, pubs and important local industries.
• We will overhaul the Licensing Act to give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to remove licences from, or refuse to grant licences to, any premises that are causing problems.
• We will allow councils and the police to shut down permanently any shop or bar found to be persistently selling alcohol to children.
• We will double the maximum fine for under-age alcohol sales to £20,000.
• We will permit local councils to charge more for late-night licences to pay for additional policing.

Proposals to ban below cost alcohol sales have attracted significant media coverage since David Cameron first spoke out about the 'unbelievably low prices of some alcohol' and 'loss-leading' by supermarkets. Pledging to 'review taxation' suggests the Government will also stick to plans to 'raise taxes on those drinks linked to anti-social drinking'.

Pledging to 'review pricing' in addition may offer hope to those that have called for a minimum pricing approach to address the cheap availability of alcohol. Pricing measures have been opposed by bodies such as the British Retail Consortium, but called for by the Chief Medical Officer, and other health groups. Alcohol Concern had previously commented that the Tory proposals were 'a positive step' but fell short of minimum pricing. Professor Ian Gilmore or the Royal College of Physicians has also stated:

"The prices of cheap alcohol are a number one problem, but it would be insufficient just to tackle loss leaders. There is a lot of discounting going on, such as offers encouraging bulk-buying, that wouldn't be stopped."

Plans to 'overhaul' the licensing system do net yet appear to have been fully outlined, other than promising stronger powers to address problematic premises. However it appears control of the Licensing agenda will largely remain within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport after recent suggestions it would return to the Home Office.

Comments

[Alice Wotherspoon]

What is the objective of the Coalition Government Alcohol plan. Does the plan adhere strictly to the government’s creed…. CONTROL AND RESPONSIBILITY .

If the objective is to tackle anti-social behaviour from irresponsible binge drinking , shouldn’t the government then ask itself WHO has CONTROL over how much alcoholic drink is allowed to enter a drinker’s mouth. Would it be that individual drinker or someone else. Obviously the answer would be the individual drinker. How would RESPONSIBILITY then be linked to CONTROL in this instance?

Do you think raising the minimum price of alcohol or even banning selling below cost is the answer? In this scenario the government has placed the RESPONSIBILITY on everyone regardless of individuals who do not even indulge in binge drinking . Can another individual who has no CONTROL over another’s action be made RESPONSIBLE ? Is this fair, not to mention the Government has also broken another of its promises; RETURNING MORE CONTROL TO THE PEOPLE AND NOT THE GOVERNMENT. Instead of allowing us the People and free market forces determine market prices the Government is imposing a fixed pricing mechanism into the equation.

I think the Government should rethink and be less hasty in formulating a plan that has penalising effect on innocent parties. Make only those who have CONTROL be RESPONSIBLE. Take for instance car drivers. It has been a time-tested example of CONTROL and RESPONSIBILITY going hand in hand together. Only drivers who break the law are penalised. So why not use the same system. Make it unlawful to behave in an anti-social manner from binge drinking in designated areas or instances (which the government has to decide). Should any drinker break this law then the police can arrest them and issue a summon, be it a point system or a penal fine and maybe making it mandatory to attend a class to educate them. I think this is more justifiable, unless the Alcohol Plan has an ulterior motive …to raise extra money for the Government!!!

[John Nunnerley]

Hello,
I think that all related medical treatment down to ALCOHOL should be paid for and to be put down as self adminstered and therefore not paid for by the state as part of the national health service.
J Nunnerley