East Kilbride’s leading politicians put new scheme in spotlight
A landmark new law aimed at tackling the nation’s drink problem has seen the price of cheap booze rocket.
After a six-year battle, the Scottish Parliament won their controversial bid to set a 50p-per-unit minimum price for alcohol – becoming the first country in the world to do so.
The historic measure, aimed at combating binge drinking, came into force on May 1 and mainly impacts cheap, high-strength booze sold in licensed shops and supermarkets.
East Kilbride politicians have this week given their view on the legislation, with the town’s SNP MSP Linda Fabiani insisting it will save lives while Tory Central Scotland MSP Graham Simpson said the nation was in “new territory”.
Strong white ciders, super-strength lagers and own-brand spirits have been hit hardest with the price of a three-litre bottle of 7.5 per cent Frosty Jack’s more than doubling in price – from £3.99 to £11.
The cheapest bottles of wine on supermarket shelves will see a price hike to £4.69.
And a 20-pack of Tennent’s or Carling lager – containing 36 units – sold for £13 will now cost around £18.
Popular mid-market whiskies such as The Famous Grouse will also be hit with minimum pricing pushing the cost of a 70cl bottle from £11 to £13 and, with 37.5 units of alcohol in a litre, vodka will be sold at around £18.75. However, Buckfast tonic wine will not be affected as, at an average price of £7.09 per bottle, the product is already priced at over 60p per unit. In the first year, the new legislation is expected to prevent 60 alcohol-related deaths, 1600 hospital admissions and 3500 crimes. Alcohol abuse can lead to a wide range of health problems including cardiovascular disease, liver disease,
pancreatitis and cancer.
Shocking statistics revealed the number of alcohol-related deaths across Lanarkshire is the highest in the region for a decade.
NHS Lanarkshire experienced a 14 per cent year-on-year increase in alcoholrelated deaths from 186 in 2015 to 212 last year – the highest in 10 years.
The figures exclude suicides and accidental deaths where alcohol may have played a part and nationally, alcohol-related deaths rose 10 per cent to 1265 last year – the highest in Scotland for six years.
Ms Fabiani MSP insists the bold new measure will save hundreds of lives and tackle the problem “head-on”.
“Scotland unfortunately has the highest rate of alcohol-related deaths in the UK, which is why I fully support the new changes to the pricing of alcohol as one of the means of tackling our drink problem”, she told the News.
“There is a clear and proven link between alcohol consumption and harm. Evidence suggests minimum unit pricing is the most effective and efficient means of tackling consumption of cheap, high-strength alcohol, which causes so much damage to so many families.
“It is disappointing it took so long for the legal challenges to go through the courts, a challenge made by those who profit most from cheap alcohol.
“With the implementation of these changes, we can save hundreds of lives and tackle head-on our troubled relationship with drink.”
Dr Lisa Cameron, MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, agreed, saying: “Minimal unit alcohol pricing is a bold step and Scotland is leading the way in terms of this robust policy response.
“We know from medical experts that this policy will save lives, and I know, from working in the NHS for many years, that Scotland has one of the most significant problems with alcohol-related harm that must be addressed.
“In particular, the policy targets those who drink high volume, low cost alcohol such as cider; those who binge drink and those who are dependent. It is unlikely to impact upon moderate drinkers in terms of cost or consumption. The policy is not a panacea on its own however, and must be supported by treatment options for those affected.” Last week Labour MSP for Central Scotland, Monica Lennon, opened up about her own personal experience living with an alcoholic father on STV’s Scotland Tonight. She told the News: “Scotland has a difficult and dangerous relationship with alcohol. I’ve experienced this in my own family and my heart breaks when I hear how it impacts on my constituents in East Kilbride and across Central Scotland. “I’ve spent more hours in Hairmyres Hospital with my dad due to alcoholrelated admissions than I care to remember and I don’t want other families to leave with a death certificate like I did three years ago. “I welcome the implementation of minimum unit pricing because if the academic and medical evidence is proven right, it will save lives and reduce hospital admissions over time. The human cost of alcohol harm will only be dramatically reduced if we change our drinking culture. “I led a debate in the Scottish Parliament on this last year and I am continuing to lobby the Scottish Government on a range of other measures and funding that is badly needed to support recovery and educate people about the health risks associated with unsafe levels of drinking.”
However, Mr Simpson MSP said: “We’re awaiting with interest to see what effect the introduction of minimum pricing has on Scotland’s relationship with alcohol.
“This is new territory and we need to analyse what effect this will have on consumer behaviour.
“That’s why the Scottish Conservatives supported the introduction of a sunset clause, so that if minimum pricing proves to be ineffective then it can be scrapped.
“It will also be interesting to see how people get round the new laws by ordering over the internet or phone. Both are allowed so long as the drink is not distributed directly from Scotland.”
●There are 10 units in the average bottle of wine, two units in a can of lager/cider, three units in a pint of higher strength lager/beer/cider and there can be up to four or five units in a pint of strong white cider.