Alcohol Policy UK

Scotland news and updates: AFS release new Manifesto; SNP still seek minimum price; national brief interventions target met

Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS) have launched a new Manifesto which calls for the new Scottish Parliament to take decisive steps to reduce the harm caused by alcohol by:

• Increasing the price and reducing the availability of alcohol
• Specifically targeting supermarkets for increased regulation
• Banning alcohol sports sponsorship
• Reducing drink driving limits to 50mg
• Awareness raising campaign on the harm alcohol causes to others
• Improved treatment and support services for people in need

See here for the full 8 calls to action. The Scottish National Party (SNP) recently announced they would revive their plans for a minimum price if they win the Scottish national elections on May 5th. A senior police officer has also backed the measure.

NHS Scotland have also recently met the national 3 year target to deliver nearly 150,000 brief interventions by March 2011. See this Alcohol Information Scotland page for previous reports.

Latest Findings & other alcohol research: UK Criminal Justice needs; depressed drinkers and intervention insights

Recent research from the drug and alcohol Bank:

Alcohol Interventions in the British Criminal Justice System

• Unmet need for alcohol services in English prisons
  Prison inspections and surveys of prisoners and staff in England reveal what HM Inspectorate of Prisons called a depressing picture of very limited services for problem drinking inmates, leaving them with poor prospects on release.
• Scottish prisons leave many problem drinkers without help 
  What does the Scottish Prison Service need to do to adequately address alcohol problems among inmates? Key finding was that many prisoners who could benefit from interventions were being missed.
• Not enough money for problem drinking offenders in the community   Complements the prison report above with an investigation of what is being done in Scotland to meet the needs of problem drinking offenders by  services outside prison, and assesses whether local arrangements measure up. Under-funding emerges as a key issue.

Treatment and prevention bulletins

• Male and female depressed drinkers react best to different therapies Australian study provides the first evidence that integrated treatment may be superior for depressed heavy drinkers, and raises the intriguing possibility that men react best to alcohol-focused therapy, women to a depression focus.
• Problem drinking curbed by EU-funded drug education curriculum The largest European drug education trial ever conducted tested whether US-style social influence programmes would prove effective in Europe. Among the successes were the reductions in problem drinking documented in this report, but substance use as such could not be shown to have been reduced.

Brief interventions and health outcomes research

Free research summaries are available from the US-based Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Health: Current Evidence page. Individual links are listed and a newsletter summarising research findings on Dual Diagnosis, GP barriers to brief interventions, older drinkers and Naltrexone.

Further research can be found in the Findings bank, the AERC library, our research tag and a links page on the Alcohol Learning Centre.

PhD Research place: Gendered Identities and Alcohol Consumption Among Young Adults

A PhD Research Studentship opportunity has arisen to address the subject of Gendered Identities and Alcohol Consumption Among Young Adults: A Qualitative Study.

Led by the MRC Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, Glasgow, the project will explore:

• How do young women and men in Scotland perceive (excessive) drinking?
• How are young adults’ gendered identities related to, and constructed by, alcohol consumption?

Closing date: 16 February 2011. Stipend £13,590 per annum. The successful student will be supervised by Dr Carol Emslie and Dr Helen Sweeting.

Further details can be found here on the MRC website.

No minimum pricing for Scotland's Alcohol Bill but 'irresponsible promotions' curbed

Scotland will not be introducing a minimum unit price for alcohol as opposition parties maintained their position, MSPs voting 76-49 against it at the final stage of the Alcohol Bill. The Scottish National Party (SNP) had called for the Scottish Labour and Conservative parties to 'rise above party politics', previously offering a sunset clause as a compromise. The Bill also failed to receive enough support for raising the purchase age for off licence sales, and restricting the caffeine content in alcoholic drinks.

However the Bill will curb irresponsible promotions, introduce a 'challenge 25' age verification scheme and initiate a 'social responsibility levy' option on licensed premises. SNP Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the Bill as a step forward, but spoke out against Labour for failing to back minimum pricing.

The Alcohol Bill will:

• Ban quantity discounts such as 'three for two' or '25 per cent off when you buy six'
• Restrict alcohol promotions in off-sales
• Introduce a Challenge 25 age verification scheme for all licensed premises
• Pave the way for the introduction of a social responsibility levy to ensure those who profit from the sale of alcohol also put something back into the community

A range of press and media coverage includes reports from the BBC, the Guardian, and a comment piece in the Telegraph. Alcohol Focus Scotland said a 'historic opportunity had been missed', criticising the arguments made by opponents of minimum pricing. Health interests had been speaking out ahead of the final stage, the Herald reporting support for minimum pricing from high ranking doctors and police officers following the BMA Scotland publishing a statement of support from 160 key figures. 

But Scottish Labour Party Health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said “Minimum unit pricing was rightly rejected by MSPs because it is effectively a tax on the poor”. She was backed by SABMiller, Diageo and the Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) who said MSPs should now 'build consensus around alternative, more effective, legal tax-based measures to address alcohol misuse.'

In England, minimum pricing had been called for by the Chief Medical Officer in 2009 but was rejected by Labour, who instead implemented the mandatory code (also banning 'irresponsible promotions'). The Lib Dems had appeared to support minimum pricing prior to forming the Coalition, which is now reviewing measures including a ban on below cost sales and changes in taxation to 'tackle problem drinking'.

Alcohol Focus Scotland: newsletter feature on minimum price ahead of final Alcohol Bill stage

Alcohol Focus Scotland's latest In Focus Newsletter [pdf] is now available. The edition features an exploration of minimum pricing and surrounding issues as the Alcohol Bill approaches its final stage. The Scottish National Party's attempt to introduce a 45 pence per unit minimum price was blocked by opposition parties at the second stage, despite the offer of a 'sunset clause'.

In the Newsletter, Chief Executive Dr Evelyn Gillan writes:

"The Scottish Government may reintroduce minimum pricing prior to the final debate in November but it is unlikely to be supported. With no credible, alternative pricing measure on the table, politicians appear determined to put party political interests before the public health interest. If the Parliament does vote to take minimum pricing out of the Bill during the final debate, we will have missed a historic opportunity to dramatically improve the health and well-being of our nation."

The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) recently called for increased taxation on alcohol to mimic the effect of minimum pricing, though Professor Petra Meier highlighted options should not be confined to an "either or" approach.

To receive a copy of In Focus by post email here. See here for more on Alcohol Focus Scotland or visit the discussion forum.

Defeat for Scotland's minimum pricing plan

The Scottish Government's long fought plans for minimum pricing appeared at an end as opposition parties refused to include it in the Alcohol Bill at stage 2 - BBC report. A move to limit the amount of caffeine allowed in alcoholic drinks was also blocked but the remaining proposals were agreed.

The Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon had called for a 45 pence per unit price and had even offered a 'sunset clause' if it proved unsuccessful. But Scottish Labour, Lib Dems and Tories continued to repeat claims that it would 'punish responsible drinkers' or could be illegal under EU law. A Tory spokesperson instead backed the Coalition Government plans of banning below cost sales and reviewing tax. Sturgeon re-iterated concerns though that opposition to minimum pricing was not based on the evidence but was politically motivated, whilst health campaigners declared the decision a 'missed opportunity'.

For more see reports from the Herald and Morning Advertiser. See here for the Stage 1 report which reviews the evidence for the Bill's proposals.

45p minimum price sought for Scotland

The Scottish National Party (SNP) today announced they wish to see a 45 pence per unit minimum price made law as part of the forthcoming Alcohol Bill. Although opposition parties have supported the wider principles of the Bill, they have opposed minimum pricing and suggested other approaches.

Stage 2 of the Alcohol Bill is due later this month; likely to be the last chance for the SNP's minimum pricing plan. The Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, backed by health groups, has previously called on opposition parties to 'rise above party politics' and accept minimum pricing as the most effective approach, even offering a 'sunset clause'. Sturgeon today announced the potential impacts of a 45 pence minimum price, including £83 million reduction in health care costs over the 10 year period. The Health Secretary also rejected claims that the measure would unfairly hit the poorest or punish responsible drinkers.

Earlier this week the Scottish Labour party called for a 'floor price' as an alternative, similar to the Coalition's proposals to ban below cost sales. But Sturgeon insisted such alternatives would not make an impact. She also suggested Westminster's below cost plans had been delayed because they 'not been able to come up with a fair definition of cost'. She also dismissed tax increases as a single alternative, suggesting cider duty would need to be increased by 200% to bring it in line with the proposed minimum price. Announcing the long-awaited figure, Sturgeon said:

'I believe it's crucial that we reintroduce realistic alcohol pricing. It cannot be right that a man can exceed his weekly recommended alcohol limit for less than £3.50.

Our proposals have already won backing from respected health professionals at home and abroad and I hope, for the sake of our nation's health, they will also win the backing of the Scottish Parliament.'

In a Morning Advertiser report, Wine and Spirit Trade Association spokesman Gavin Partington said:

'Setting a minimum price at 45p doesn't alter the fact that minimum pricing is wrong in principle. It won't tackle alcohol misuse but will punish families on low incomes and pensioners.

Surely Ministers cannot believe that making a hazardous drinker pay an extra £1.08 per week is going to solve the problem.'

A BBC page has a full list of responses to the proposals. The SNP have a minimum pricing page and the University of Sheffield have previously modelled the potential impact of minimum pricing. Alcohol Focus Scotland is the national charity seeking to reduce alcohol harm for Scotland.

Scotland still unresolved on minimum pricing; trade concerns over licensing consultation

This week a Scottish cross-party 'alcohol summit' was held intending to move forward the contentious issue of minimum pricing. The Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said there had been agreement that action on price was an 'essential part' of tackling alcohol misuse, but no agreement was yet made on how to address it. Sturgeon said:

"... following today's meeting we will consider any workable alternatives, and as a result have asked the opposition parties to submit further details on what they have proposed today.

"In an attempt to reach agreement, I indicated that the government would be willing to introduce a 'sunset clause' to the minimum price section of the Alcohol Bill currently going through the Scottish Parliament.

Scotland progressing on brief interventions

A report indicates over 82,564 brief interventions [IBA] have been carried out in Scotland since 2008-09, with a target set by the Scottish Government of 149,449 to be completed by the end of 2010-11.

Scotland's minimum pricing battle intensifies

Plans to introduce minimum pricing in Scotland looked in jeopardy as a narrow majority of MSPs voted to remove it from the Alcohol Bill. An amendment to remove minimum pricing before stage two of the bill was called for by Labour and Tory opponents by a margin of 54 to 49, with 13 abstentions from the Lib Dems.

The Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon called on her opponents to 'rise above party politics', but opposition member Murdo Fraser said it was 'time for the SNP to put its plans on hold and sit down and work with the UK Government and opposition parties on a joint approach which will have widespread political support.'

An article in the Scotsman reported Nicola Sturgeon insisted the SNP would continue to pursue minimum pricing at stage 2. See further reports from the BBC and Telegraph. The stage 1 report was recently published, reviewing the evidence and findings from the Health and Sport Committee.

In England, the prospect of minimum pricing under the new Government also appears unlikely following comments from the Health Secretary in response to the NICE guidance. However Fuller's became the latest brewer to come out in support of minimum pricing after recent backing from Greene King and Tesco. Fuller's Chairman Michael Turner echoed concerns over the practical challenges of implementing the current Government plans to ban below cost sales. However the Coalition also promises to 'review alcohol taxation and pricing to ensure it tackles binge drinking'.