What will the decision mean for drinkers?

What is Minimum Unit Pricing?

MINIMUM unit pricing, or MUP, sets a floor price for a unit of alcohol, which means it cannot legally be sold for less than that price. The more alcohol contained in a drink, the more expensive it will be.

The Scottish Government claims this is not a tax but rather ‘a targeted way of making sure alcohol is sold at a sensible price’.

Why does the price of alcohol matter?

HEALTH campaigners have argued that when the price of alcohol goes down, consumption goes up. The more affordable drink becomes, the more people use it and the more harm society experiences.

It is claimed that pushing up the price of alcohol will cut alcohol-related illness, deaths and violence.

What exactly does the Scottish Government want to introduce?

MINISTERS will implement a minimum price for alcohol set at 0p per unit, which means a bottle of 70cl whisky could not be sold for less than £14.

The Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 was passed by MSPs at Holyrood in 2012.

How soon could the Scottish Government implement the policy?

MINISTERS have said they will move ‘as quickly as is practicable’ to put the policy in place, but it is understood that minimum pricing will be in place within the first six months of next year.

Health Secretary Shona Robison will outline her timetable in the Scottish parliament next week.

What’s wrong with bringing in other measures instead?

MINISTERS insist that Scotland’s alcohol problem is so significant that ‘groundbreaking’ measures are needed to tackle this. They say that given the link between consumption and harm, and evidence that affordability is one of the drivers of increased consumption, addressing price is an important element of any long-term strategy. Ministers believe there is strong international evidence that tackling price, as part of a package of measures, can cut alcohol consumption.

What if I buy my alcohol online or order from south of the Border?

THE legislation will only cover shops in Scotland, so if alcohol is ordered from a retailer based elsewhere in the UK or abroad, minimum pricing will not be enforced. Following the implementation, officials will monitor how sales are made and look to see if there is a switch to ordering online.

Just how serious is Scotland’s relationship with the bottle?

The Scottish Government argues that the nation’s relationship with alcohol has become imbalanced. Almost a fifth more alcohol is sold per adult in Scotland than in England and Wales, and figures show that more than 40 per cent of prisoners were drunk at the time of their offence.

Recent figures indicate that alcohol-related deaths have increased by 10 per cent over the past year, while in other European countries outside the UK and Ireland they are falling.

What impact could MUP have on harm reduction?

MINISTERS say it means less money will have to be spent dealing with the consequences of alcohol misuse. Alcohol Focus Scotland says that in the first year alone, minimum pricing could prevent 60 alcohol-related deaths, 1,600 hospital admissions and 3, 00 crimes.

The Institute of Alcohol Studies says analysis found that a 0p MUP would have minimal effect on moderate drinkers, while heavy drinkers would drink on average 134 fewer units a year.

The legislation was passed in 2012, so why doesn’t Scotland have minimum pricing for alcohol yet?

IMPLEMENTATION of the law has been held up due to longrunning legal challenge from alcohol industry bodies, led by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA).

Its challenge has already been heard at Scotland’s highest civil court, the Court of Session, and gone to the Court of Justice of the European Union. It was only after this that the hearings moved to the UK Supreme Court.

What are the arguments against MUP?

THE Scotch Whisky Association believes it will not tackle alcohol misuse effectively and says there is no evidence that MUP reduces alcohol- related harm.

It believes the measure contravenes EU trading rules. It claims MUP will set a precedent for ‘equally ineffective and illegal measures’ by other countries which could damage the Scotch Whisky industry’s export markets and the Scottish economy.

The body says it is a regressive policy that hits responsible drinkers, in particular those with the lowest incomes. It agrees there is a problem with alcohol misuse but says alcohol-related harm has declined in recent years.

In addition, existing laws on underage sales and sales to drunk people are not fully and effectively applied at present, the SWA argues.