The minimum pricing plan is aimed at heavily-discounted drinks sold in shops and supermarkets Ministers are due to unveil plans later for a minimum price for alcohol in England and Wales as part of a drive to tackle problem drinking.The Home Office is expected to publish a consultation on the proposal, which was first put forward in the government's alcohol strategy in March.
A price of 40p per unit was suggested at the time.
But pressure has been mounting on ministers to follow Scotland's lead, where 50p has been proposed.
The aim of a minimum price would be to alter the cost of heavily discounted drinks sold in shops and supermarkets.
There has been evidence of some outlets selling alcohol at a loss to encourage customers through the doors, with cans of lager going for 20p and two-litre bottles of cider available for under £2.
'Pre-loading'Ministers have been particularly critical of such practices, blaming them for what has been dubbed "pre-loading", where people binge-drink before going out.
The alcohol strategy linked this phenomenon to the rising levels of alcohol-related violence and hospital admissions, of which there are more than a million a year.
At the time, ministers said a 40p minimum price could save 900 lives a year and prevent 50,000 crimes by the end of the decade.
Continue reading the main storyWe're paying a heavy price for alcohol misuse and setting a minimum unit price will help us on the road to changing this”End Quote Eric Appleby Alcohol Concern As well as including details about a minimum price, the consultation is also likely to give more information about other alcohol measures, such as giving local agencies extra powers to restrict opening hours and banning multi-buy promotions.
There was also a proposal for a late-night levy to make clubs and pubs help pay for policing in the original strategy.
However, it is the minimum pricing proposal that has attracted most of the attention - and opposition from the industry.
The Scottish government plan, which is not due to start until April 2013, is subject to legal challenges.
A spokesman for the British Retail Consortium said most of the industry was opposed to minimum pricing as it penalised the majority of people who were responsible drinkers while "doing nothing to address the root causes of harmful drinking".
Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said: "We're paying a heavy price for alcohol misuse and setting a minimum unit price will help us on the road to changing this.
"Evidence shows us that setting the unit price at 50p will have most impact on those vulnerable groups we must protect - the young and heavy drinkers.
"But we cannot cut the misery caused by excessive drinking, whether it's crime or hospitalisation, through price alone.
"We need tighter controls around licensing, giving local authorities and police forces all the tools they need to get a firm grip on the way alcohol is being sold in their area. We have an opportunity to make an enormous difference to the lives of thousands of people - we must seize it."
View the original article here
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.
No comments:
Post a Comment