QC presses judges for minimum alcohol pricing

A top QC has urged a panel of judges to consider new information which he says shows the need for alcohol minimum pricing legislation.

Gerry Moynihan QC told a Court of Session hearing yesterday that studies show that the numbers of Scots dying from alcohol consumption has increased in recent years.

The advocate told Lords Carloway, Menzies and Brodie that the number of people suffering from illnesses caused by drink has also increased.

Mr Moynihan told the court that up until 2013 mortality and morbidity rates for Scots were decreasing.

But he said that Scottish ministers feared that since the end of the recession, more people have started spending a greater proportion of their income on booze.

The lawyer told the court that there are more Scots who lose their lives to drink than there are in England and Wales.

Mr Moynihan told the court: “The latest data shows us the necessity of the legislation.

“The data that was before the court previously shows that there was a decline in consumption and morbidity – that trend has now flattened.”