Alcohol strategy gets Westminster debate
A Westminster debate on alcohol policy and the forthcoming strategy has been highlighted by Alcohol Concern - see part 1 and part 2 of the debate which includes statements from MPs across the parties.
Public health Minister Anne Milton said the forthcoming national strategy included ambition to "remove a significant number of units of alcohol from the UK market through changes in how alcohol is produced and sold". See a Morning Advertiser (MA) report or the the Daily Mail's take. See recent news on lower strength drinks here.
After calling for the debate, Dr Sarah Wollaston, a Conservative MP who has previously called for tougher regulatory and pricing measures re-iterated the case for stronger action. An open letter from health groups has also asked MPs to support minimum pricing following Alcohol Concern's call on the public to push MPs to support it.
Scotland
The University of Sheffield have produced an updated review into the likely impacts of minimum pricing in Scotland (report here). It suggests a slightly smaller effect on consumption than first estimated, but would still be expected to save thousands of lives and millions of pounds. A minimum price of 45p per unit of alcohol would reduce consumption by 4.3% rather than the previously estimated 4.7%. See BBC and Guardian reports.
Controversy over whether the European Commission had given a supportive indication to the Scottish Health Secretary over the legality of minimum pricing within EU law is outlined in a BBC report.
A Scottish Government alcohol campaign is encouraging women to 'drop a glass size', warning of the risks of regular consumption, similar to England's recent Change4Life campaign. A ‘drinking time machine’ app is also part of the campaign.
Other news
Portman Group Chief Executive Henry Ashworth, Chair of the Responsibility Deal’s Alcohol Network (RDAN), has said the Responsibility Deal will suffer without health partners involvement - see MA story.
National Pubwatch has teamed up with drinks giant Diageo to launch an awards scheme to recognise responsible drinking - MA report. The introduction of the Late Night Levy could cost the industry as much as £25 million according to the Home Office consultation, the MA reports.
Liverpool may go for local minimum pricing, following in the footsteps of Manchester hoping to introduce it via local by-law changes. Ireland could also be going for minimum pricing according to the MA.
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