Selected media stories since the February roundup:
Writing in the Scotsman, Alcohol Focus Scotland Chief Executive Alison Douglas, said "The historic introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) of alcohol is just weeks away and will mark a significant turning point in Scotland’s damaging relationship with drink. When this life-saving policy comes into effect on May 1, the positive impact on the nation’s health will be felt in a matter of months. In the first year alone, minimum pricing could prevent 60 alcohol-related deaths, 1,300 hospital admissions and 3,500 crimes, and those health and other benefits will build over time.". See APUK's MUP and UK policy analysis here.
A plan to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol in Wales has passed its first hurdle, when Assembly members backed the general principle of the law in a vote in the Senedd. BBC
The Home Office confirms that licensing hours in England and Wales will be relaxed for two days at the time of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. Pubs will be allowed to open until 1am on the nights of Friday 18th and Saturday 19th May. ITV News
Domestic abusers could be electronically tagged and banned from drinking alcohol under new government proposals to “transform” the way domestic abuse is tackled in the UK. Unprecedented new civil orders will expand the potential restrictions courts and police can impose on perpetrators. Independent
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will put a minister in charge of helping the Children of Alcoholics, and make Britain’s 2.5 million children of heavy drinking parents part of the Government’s mental health strategy, reportedly due to publish data on the scale of the problem in the coming weeks. Express
Analysis of the regional budget by BirminghamLive reveals that most councils in the West Midlands metropolitan area are planning to cut their expenditure on treating, preventing and reducing harm from alcohol misuse in adults for 2017/18. Overall, spending across the region will be cut by £1.5m, from £12.2m in 2016/17 to £10.7m in 2017/18.
A paper published by the Department of Health and Social Care includes details of a public consultation launched on 15 March and due to remain open until 10 May 2018. The Food Labelling Regulations (FLR), laid out in 1996 to provide rules on how low alcohol (drinks with 1.2% ABV or less) should be described, are due to expire on 13 December 2018. As such, the public consultation will help determine how best to communicate information about low alcohol drinks. The Drinks Business
Steve Magnall, chief executive of St Peter’s Brewery in Suffolk (pictured), has criticised a proposal submitted to an All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting on Alcohol Harm to group zero alcohol drinks with low alcohol ones under a ‘zero alcohol’ label. “The current labelling is confusing and in some ways misrepresentative of the types of products available. However, we’ve put time effort and money into producing a zero alcohol range of beers so why should a 0.5% beer be branded as zero alcohol when it isn’t?” he said. East Anglian Daily Times
Research
New Royal College of Psychiatrists research highlights the growing problem of alcohol and illicit substance misuse among older people. The number of alcohol-specific deaths in people aged 50 and over has risen 45% over the past 15 years according to Our Invisible Addicts, which also states that deaths related to poisoning from substances in older people have more than doubled over the past decade. Independent and APUK analysis.
A new briefing on alcohol affordability by the Institute of Alcohol Studies shows that beer sold across the UK’s supermarkets and off-licences is almost 188 per cent more affordable today than it was three decades ago, supporting calls for greater legislation to relieve pressure on health services. Affordability has risen by 22 per cent since 2012 alone. Independent
A University of Sheffield study has found that new alcohol guidelines published in 2016 had no discernible effect on British drinking habits, despite widespread coverage following the change. The Register
Researchers from Oxford and Cardiff universities say adults who drink more than one unit a day are putting themselves at ‘significant risk’ of dementia. MailOnline
New figures from Cancer Research UK show that almost four in 10 cancer cases are avoidable if British people changed their lifestyles by drinking less alcohol, keeping their weight down, ditching cigarettes and avoiding overdoing it on a sunbed, among other actions. Guardian
Researchers at Glasgow and Edinburgh universities have found those on the lowest incomes were more likely to drink too much if availability was high. They suggested the Scottish government should take an overview at the number of shops selling alcohol - particularly in areas of low income. BBC
Industry news
Conviviality, the owner of Bargain Booze, has announced plans to file for administration within two weeks, though buyers for other arms of the business have been reported in recent days. The firm also owns Wine Rack and supplies more than 25,000 restaurants, hotels and bars. Earlier it had shocked investors with a profit warning and news of an unpaid £30m tax bill. BBC
18 pubs across the country closed every week in the second half of 2017, according to The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra). BBC
Gin sales hit a record high at Christmas after consumers bought the equivalent of a bottle for every adult in the UK last year. The festive period saw sales rise by £104m compared with the previous year, according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association. Independent
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