Minimum price alcohol bid voted out once again
Plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol were branded dead in the water on Wednesday after a Holyrood committee rejected them.
- By Stefan Morkis and Claire Warrender
- Published in the Courier : 23.09.10
- Published online : 23.09.10 @ 04.13pm
Despite health secretary Nicola Sturgeon's plea for support, the five opposition MSPs on the eight-strong health and sport committee all voted against plans to charge 45p per unit of alcohol.
Health professionals condemned their decision and warned that public health will suffer as a result.
The Scottish Government believes imposing a minimum price per unit would change the nation's unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Health boards and members of the licensed trade have given their backing to the plans but opposition MSPs have consistently voted against them, claiming minimum pricing would discriminate against the poor and provide no extra income for the NHS.
Committee members voted five to three to reject the policy during scrutiny of the Alcohol Bill on Wednesday. They also voted against adding a "sunset clause" which would allow the scheme to run for six years before being reconsidered by MSPs.
However, Ms Sturgeon vowed to bring the policy back to the full parliament at the third and final stage of consideration of the Alcohol Bill — despite the minority SNP administration failing to convince opposition MSPs to vote for it before.
She claimed setting a minimum price of 45p on units of alcohol would lead to immediate health benefits. She said there would be 50 fewer deaths, 1200 fewer hospital admissions, 400 fewer violent crimes and millions of pounds saved in health care in the first year alone.
"I find it disheartening that some colleagues feel we can't be the first to try a new approach, that we must stand back and wait for someone else to pursue an action before doing something ourselves," Ms Sturgeon told the committee.
"I argue that the scale of our problem means we need to take action now."
Conservative MSP and committee member Mary Scanlon tabled the amendment to strike out the section of the bill dealing with minimum pricing.
Ms Sturgeon said that showed a "disregard" for health and well-being and claimed opposition MSPs were voting against the plan for party political reasons. She added that the Scottish Government is not giving up on minimum pricing.
"I do think it's right that this is an issue that comes back to parliament at stage three to allow the whole parliament to vote on this," she said. "It would be the intention of the government to bring forward an amendment at stage three to allow that to happen."
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