Conservative MSPs clashed with alcohol charity chiefs around the data on the health impacts of minimum unit pricing (MUP), ahead of a Government decision on raising the price later this week.
The Tories’ Dr Sandesh Gulhane and Tess White sought to dispute the interpretation of the data as Holyrood’s Health Committee carried out scrutiny on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the Scottish Government will deliver a statement on MUP, after it consulted on raising the price to 65p per unit from the current level of 50p.
The policy was implemented in 2018 and the current regulations will end on April 30 this year.
Groups representing the off-licence trade are opposed to any increase in MUP, while alcohol charities are supportive and say the minimum price needs to be increased due to inflation.
Dr Gulhane said estimates on the number of lives saved by MUP is under “intense scrutiny” and sought answers from a panel of alcohol charity witnesses on how MUP had affected dependent drinkers.
Justina Murray, of Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs, said families are “frustrated that this is still being debated so many years down the line”.
She said the public health community is “united” in believing the evidence around the benefits of MUP, saying it had reduced consumption, hospital admissions and deaths.
When Dr Gulhane said the evidence around hospital admissions was not “statistically significant”, she responded: “I think you should be focussing on the fact that MUP has saved lives.
“I think you’re possibly the only person in the room, I’m not sure, who doesn’t believe the evidence.”
Dr Gulhane responded, saying he does “believe the evidence”.
He went on to say that dependent drinkers appeared to be spending more money on alcohol consumption as a result of MUP.
Alison Douglas, of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said there are about 50,000 dependent drinkers in Scotland.
MUP was designed to reduce consumption around the roughly one million Scots who drink above the minimum guidelines, she said, rather than the smaller group of dependent drinkers.
Ms Douglas said: “If people are waking up in the morning and they are psychologically and physiologically dependent on alcohol, the first thing that comes to their mind is not, ‘how much am I paying for my alcohol?’
“It is, ‘I need alcohol now to get me through this morning’”.
Conservative MSP Ms White asked the panel about alcohol deaths among females, saying these have risen in recent years despite male deaths remaining level.
Dr Alastair MacGilchrist, chair of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (Shaap), said the 50p level has become less effective in the five years since MUP started.
One reason could be women drinking wine more frequently than men, he suggested, as wine is not affected by MUP.
He said the “clear answer” to increase effectiveness among women is to increase MUP, but Ms White said “I dispute that”.
In a second panel, a number of groups representing the off-licence trade spoke to the Health Committee.
The SNP’s Clare Haughey, asked to what extent they contested data from Public Health Scotland around deaths and hospital admissions.
Dr Pete Cheema, of the Scottish Grocers Federation, said he believed data had been “skewed” by the pandemic and changes in consumer behaviour.
Ms Haughey pressed him for evidence on this, saying: “So, essentially, the Scottish Grocers Federation doesn’t accept Public Health Scotland’s evaluation of minimum unit pricing on the basis of anecdote?”
Dr Cheema said: “That’s right”.
He went on to say a longer period of time is needed to collect the data.