By Grant Smith

NHS TAYSIDE has called for newly qualified drivers to be banned from drinking any alcohol before getting behind the wheel.

It believes the move would help to reduce the number of accidents and could ultimately serve as a stepping-stone to a zero alcohol limit for all drivers.

The suggestion is part of its official response to the Scottish Government’s proposals for a shake-up of alcohol legislation.

Opposition MSPs have already knocked back a proposal to prevent under-21s buying drink in off-licences, but ministers are still pursuing that idea as part of a package aimed at reducing the harmful effects of alcohol on people’s health and the economy.

NHS Tayside said it welcomed the government’s commitment to a reduction in the legal blood alcohol limit and the introduction of random breath testing.

“We suggest, however, that the proposals in these areas might be bolder, moving toward a zero alcohol limit for driving.

“In terms of population level impact, this should be more effective.

“If this is not seen as a feasible step at present, serious consideration should be given to introducing a zero limit for newly qualified drivers, as there is also evidence to support this as an effective means of reducing alcohol-related road injury.”

The SNP administration wants to outlaw off- licences from using price reductions and “buy one, get one free” sales techniques for alcohol, which NHS Tayside said it fully supports.

The health chiefs said, “There is good evidence that alcohol consumption is significantly influenced by cost and availability and that regulation of these areas is among the more effective policy options.”

They also wanted to see pubs and other licensed premises being forced to ensure larger measures of wine and spirits are sold at a price directly related to their volume.

That would mean a 250ml measure costing twice as much as a 125ml one, for example.

They added, “NHS Tayside recognises that this is a politically bold policy, but feels that it is evidence-based and proportionate in terms of the mounting public health harm caused by excessive alcohol consumption in Scotland.”

Bringing in minimum retail pricing is also supported on the grounds that the affordability and availability of “high-alcohol, low-cost products” contributes to high levels of consumption.

The submission admitted that “such measures do run the risk of being labelled as a tax on the poor.”

But it added, “Policy measures must be assessed to ensure that they will have at least as much impact on the more deprived in our communities as on the more well-off. Measures that influence price and availability should achieve this aim in a way that policies of education and information generally cannot.”

NHS Tayside also backed the idea of forcing supermarkets to have separate checkouts for alcohol purchases because it would increase awareness of the cost of drink.

But support and treatment services had to be readily available to anyone prompted to seek help for their problem drinking as that impact of policy changes became widely felt.