Health minister Anne Milton defends alcohol minimum pricing plans

12-Jun-2012 - Last updated on 13-Jun-2012 at 07:29 GMT

Related tags Minimum pricing Drinking culture

Milton: Defended government plans for minimum pricing

The Government has defended claims that introducing an alcohol minimum price of 40p per unit is a "using a sledge hammer to crack a nut", saying that evidence shows that alcohol consumption is price sensitive.

That's the comments made at the latest and final oral evidence session held by the Health Committee inquiry into the Government's Alcohol Strategy, which saw MPs quiz officials from the Department of Health (DoH).

Committee member Chris Skidmore MP said: "There is a risk that minimum pricing is using a sledge hammer to crack a nut, when you look at the Sheffield University study that shows that 40p will reduce consumption by 2.4% and the Goverment says it will lead to 30,000 less alcohol-related hospital admission. It suggests that minimum pricing isn't really going to have the desired effect, apart from taking it back to 2009/2010 levels of alcohol-related hospital admissions."

Health minister Anne Milton denied this and said there was "good evidence" to suggest that alcohol consumption is price sensitive. "The point about sledge hammer to crack a nut is always the argument used by people who don't want you to do something," she said.

"There is a lot of evidence to show the impact of price, and the trouble is, although good science takes account of it, you can never isolate things. So the mere fact that we have introduced the alcohol strategy - which talks about minimum price - will in effect have an impact of people's drinking habits because it has raised awareness and discussions in the newspapers."

The committee also raised concerns that pubs will bear brunt of brewers and suppliers passing on the extra costs from minimum pricing to pubs. Chris Heffer, deputy director of alcohol and drugs at the DoH, replied that there has not been any evidence of this.

However, Milton praised the alcohol industry for its work through the Responsibility Deal, and agreed with MPs that it has a role to play in encouraging responsible drinking. "The responsibility deal is an opportunity to persuade the alcohol industry to be responsible; anything we can do without legislation is quick and easy," she said.

"I think the alcohol industry's attitude to drinking has changed. There were some very negative images. I've felt it from the industry that they don't want those images now."

Milton also agreed with MPs that public understanding of alcohol units was poor and messaging about safe levels of alcohol to drink needed to change tact.