Alcohol Policy UK

IAS Alert July 2017: MUP, liver disease, armed forces, consumption & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: July 2017 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• TOP STORY: Supreme Court MUP showdown: Scots Govt versus Big Whisky
• Hepatologists make ‘financial case’ for action on liver disease
• Raised cancer risk for majority of moderate European drinkers
• DEFRA invites industry to roundtable
• Web retailers serve up poor ID test results
• MP pledges to equalise drink-driving law after boy’s farm death
• Mixed national outlook from local alcohol consumption data
• New National Drug Strategy released – but what about alcohol?
• Pocket money prices for alcohol continue one year on
• Majority of forces at increasing risk of alcohol-related harm
• White cider linked to premature deaths in Scotland
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT: New analysis reveals sociodemographic predictors of risky alcohol consumption

Brief intervention reports highlight role of GPs but delivery still questionable

Two new reports on alcohol brief interventions (ABIs) in Scotland have been released, highlighting the importance of GP settings and key factors influencing delivery.

The reports, published by Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP), are:

• 'Practice and attitudes of General Practitioners in the delivery of Alcohol Brief Interventions in Scotland' [pdf]

• 'Financial incentives for Alcohol Brief Interventions in Primary Care in Scotland' [pdf]

Supreme Court MUP ruling underway amid liver disease warnings

An anticipated end to the long drawn out legal battle over Scotland's Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) bid is being played out in the UK's Supreme Court this week - live stream here. The final ruling is expected nearly five years after Scotland legislated for MUP, but has been subject to a long drawn out legal challenge from sections of the alcohol industry.

Public health groups have continued to highlight the expected benefits - and lives lost in the period the policy has been delayed. A new report, the 'Financial case for action on liver disease' [PDF], predicts 63,000 alcohol-related deaths over the next five years, attracting significant media attention. As well as MUP, the report also calls for a range of policy measures including taxation, restrictions on trading hours and marketing.

News & updates June 2017: Welsh MUP, white wine, gin lollies, diabetes and hayfever

Selected news and media stories since the May roundup: 

BBC News reported that plans to introduce a new law setting a minimum price for alcohol in Wales could be revived by the Welsh Government, depending on the result of a Supreme Court challenge against similar plans by the Scottish Government.  Meanwhile, the number of alcohol-related deaths in Wales has stabilised following a significant rise towards the end of the last decade, reported WalesOnline.

Latest UK consumption data: MESAS 2017

The latest data on UK alcohol sales has been released by NHS Scotland, showing consumption has not increased over the past year. This follows small increases in consumption in 2014 and 2015 which had ended a downward overall trend from around 2005.

The report states:

After increasing over the 1990s and early 2000s, the volume of pure alcohol sold per adult in Scotland stabilised between 2005 and 2009, and then declined until 2013. This was followed by a two-year increase which has not continued in 2016, with per-adult sales returning to a similar level as in 2013.

IAS Alert May 2017: licensing, treatment sector, inequalities, MUP 5 years on & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: May 2017 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• TOP STORY: UK alcohol laws should look Down Under to tackle crime and disorder
• Alcohol-related admissions continue to rise
• Poorest at greater risk of harm from heavy drinking, study finds
• Drug and alcohol treatment sector – on borrowed time?
• Loophole closed in underage drinking crackdown
• Police unit backs new approach to cut alcohol-related crime
• An open letter to ministers on the AudioVisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD)
• Just one alcoholic drink a day can increase breast cancer risk
• Minimum unit pricing, 5 years on
• Open letter to the candidates for Director General of WHO: UPDATE

News & updates May 2017: Lifeline charity future, mental health, glassing, breast cancer, alcohol on the radio & more

Selected media stories since the April roundup: 

Many newspapers reported on the latest ONS report on alcohol statistics for England (details in a previous post), with the Guardian highlighting teetotal young people, the Sun Blackpool and baby boomers, and the Daily Mail the 22% increase in alcohol-related hospital admissions over the past decade. APUK analysis here.

IAS Alert April 2017: alcohol marketing and sport, licensing, pregnancy & more

The latest Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS) Alcohol Alert: April 2017 is now available (here for PDF version). Read the editorial here and articles below:

• TOP STORY: New alcohol marketing report suspects foul play
• Lords: Licensing Act “needs major overhaul”
• DWP: Alcohol dependency a major burden on workless families
• UK women most likely to drink alcohol during pregnancy
• Alcohol media campaigns focus mainly on short-term harms
• Cut Scots’ alcohol consumption by 10%, say campaigners
• Violent crime down; alcohol-related weekend casualties peak
• Open letter to the candidates for Director-General of WHO
• ALCOHOL SNAPSHOT: 85% of people live within 500m of an outlet selling alcohol

Commons alcohol policy briefings: MUP, taxation, licensing, pubs & street drinking

A spate of alcohol research briefings produced by the House of Commons Library have recently been released, suggesting continuing Government interest in alcohol's impact on society. Whilst alcohol policy is unlikely to form a significant feature of any campaigning in the forthcoming general election, an expectation of the need to tackle alcohol harms now seems further embedded amongst the general population.

The recent House of Commons Library briefings include:

Public Health and licensing in Scotland: tackling 'overprovison'?

New research exploring the experiences of public health professionals involved in local Scottish licensing details the complexities and challenges involved in efforts to see health considered in licensing decisions.

Uniquely, Scotland has a public health objective within its licensing legislation, which applies particularly to the concept of  'overprovision' of premises in a given area. However, experiences on the ground reveal challenges in both interpreting and applying the legislation, including the extent to which public health evidence is seen as relevant in the context of local decision-making.