Scottish drinkers are set to have to pay more for alcohol than their counterparts in England and Wales after the Holyrood government set a target minimum price of 50p per unit.
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon says the charge for alcohol bought other than in pubs – which has to be ratified by the Scottish government – should save lives and money.
“Too many Scots are drinking themselves to death,” she said.
Ms Sturgeon had originally proposed a 45p floor when the minority SNP administration attempted to introduce legislation during the last parliament in 2010.
She said the new price took into account inflation in the intervening 18 months.
Academics predict that the move should save more than 300 lives a year and almost £1bn over 10 years.
Ms Sturgeon’s announcement comes as the UK government proposes a minimum charge of 40p per unit for England and Wales.
Unlike in Scotland, the plans enjoy the support of all the main parties, and Scottish Labour is now coming under pressure to fall into line with its UK counterparts in backing the move.
Ms Sturgeon revealed the new figure during a visit to the gastroenterology ward at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where up to 80 per cent of patients are admitted with alcohol-related problems.
She said: “It’s no coincidence that as affordability has increased, alcohol-related hospital admissions have quadrupled, and it is shocking that half of our prisoners now say they were drunk when they committed the offence. It’s time for this to stop.
“Introducing a minimum price per unit will enable us to tackle these problems, given the clear link between affordability and consumption.”
The administration commissioned Sheffield University’s alcohol research group to investigate the likely impact of the proposals, which are part of the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill.
The group predicts:
– 60 fewer deaths in the first year, rising to 300 a year after a decade
– 1,600 fewer hospital admissions in the first year, rising to 6,500
– A “harm reduction value” of £64m in year one, reaching £942 million in a decade
– Up to 3,500 fewer crimes per year
How it will affect prices
- Supermarket value cider (2 litres) - March 2012 - £1.69 With minimum pricing - £4.20
- Gordon’s gin (70cl) – March 2012 - £15.59 With min pricing - £13.13 (not affected)
- Supermarket value whisky (70cl) – March 2012 - £9.97 With min pricing - £14.00
- Tennents Super Lager (4x440ml) – March 2012 - £6.79 With min pricing - £7.92
- Supermarket S African white wine (750ml) – March 2012 - £3.37 With min pricing - £4.50
The minimum charge requirement would become part of an off-sales licence, and Scottish Labour’s public-health spokesman, Dr Richard Simpson, urged the ruling SNP to force supermarkets to plough their ensuing profits into a social-responsibility levy to help tackle the causes and effects of excessive drinking.
While his party remains opposed to the 50p minimum, it was welcomed by the other main political parties in Scotland, and by brewers and licensees, as well as health professionals.
Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the British Medical Association in Scotland, said: “Alcohol-related illness causes one death every three hours in Scotland and the total healthcare costs are more than £268 million.”
But Sam Bowman, head of research at economic think tank the Adam Smith Institute, described the plans as “a miserable, Victorian-era measure that explicitly targets the poor and the frugal, leaving the more expensive drinks of the middle classes untouched”.
He said: “Hysteria about drinking alcohol is a red herring invented by the health lobby. Health fascism is back with a vengeance and minimum alcohol pricing is just another brick in the wall.”
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Jackson Carlaw urged Labour to pledge its support now that a “sunset” safety clause was included, ensuring a review of its success or otherwise after a few years.
The bill is due to begin its final stage through parliament shortly before becoming law, sometime next year.