Scottish MPs clash over pricing proposals

Scottish politicians have once again clashed over the methods needed to tackle alcohol abuse following a troubling report into its effects on the nation’s health.

A BMA Scotland study showed that alcohol was a factor in more than 5,500 GP consultations in Scotland in just one day in April – equating to a cost of more than £28 million a year for the NHS and 6% of all GP consultations.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon (left) said the survey showed the “very real problem Scotland faces with alcohol”.

Her Scottish National Party’s pledge to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol was given a boost when former Labour first minister Henry McLeish backed it during an interview with the Scottish Sun.

Sturgeon added: “As the comments from Henry McLeish show, this is an issue that should be above party politics and the challenge for the other parties is to come forward with constructive policies to address pricing.

“Minimum pricing is one of the weapons we can deploy against the effects of cheap booze and Scotland should not be blocked from using it by petty party politicking.”

But Labour’s candidate for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Richard Simpson, said his party would continue to oppose any plans for minimum unit pricing.

He added: “We do not believe it is right to punish pensioners and responsible drinkers on low incomes.”

Scottish Conservatives health spokesperson Murdo Fraser also criticised the SNP’s minimum pricing plan which he said “had no evidence base, would penalise responsible drinkers, harm the Scotch whisky industry, cost jobs and was probably illegal”.

Simpson said Labour believes the government should instead be looking into improving enforcement of existing legislation.

He added: “There should be zero tolerance of rogue retailers who break the law by selling alcohol to children.”

Labour also proposes action to reduce the caffeine content of pre-mixed energy alcoholic drinks.

The Conservatives have pledged to improve education on alcohol abuse, make it more difficult for underage teens to purchase drink, ban below cost sales of alcohol and work to use the tax and duty system to increase the cost of problem drinks.

Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Robert Brown said his party would “continue to look for the rigorous enforcement of the laws against selling alcohol to drunk people and underage young people”.

He added: “The new powers in the 2005 and 2010 Alcohol Bills are designed to give Licensing Boards more powers and to lead to more localised and effective strategies to tackle alcohol abuse and to change the culture of alcohol excess.

“We need to focus on early intervention when tackling alcohol abuse issues, specifically working with families with complex needs and parents with substance misuse problems.”

Despite the debate, statistics from the NHS suggest that the number of people admitted to hospital for alcohol-related problems in Scotland has in fact gone down over recent years.

Alcohol-related admissions peaked in 2007/08 when they reached 7,888 per 100,000 of the population.

The figure slipped to 763 in 2008/09, and early forecasts 2009/10 sit at 709 per 100,000 people.

Alan Lodge, 04.05.2011