SNP wants to ban off-trade promotions
The Scottish National Party (SNP) will ban off-trade deep discounting drink promotions north of the border if it wins power in Scotland's May parliamentary elections.
The party's justice spokesman, Kenny MacAskill MSP, brought a debate on the issue at Holyrood last Wednesday, claiming strict checks are needed to curb cheap beer and other low price alcohol offers in supermarkets and off-licences in order to tackle drink abuse and binge-fuelled violence.
He said action is needed because Office of National Statistics figures show that men and women in Scotland are twice as likely to die an alcohol-related death as people in the United Kingdom as a whole.
The SNP move comes shortly after publication of the Scottish Executive's updated strategy to reduce drink abuse, which has come under fire for apparently failing to deal with what are regularly claimed to be "loss leading" drink offers in major off trade multiples.
Scottish Executive minister George Lyon argues new licensing legislation sets out a range of promotions in both on-trade and off-trade which won't be acceptable when Scotland's Licensing Act comes into force in 2009.
He says a recently agreed partnership deal with the drinks industry will also lead to improvements.
However the SNP policy has won support from the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA).
Chief executive Patrick Browne told the Publican: "There should be a level playing field on the issue of irresponsible promotions - the same sort of restrictions on promotions which will be applied to pubs in Scotland's new Licensing Act should apply to the off trade."
He said the Executive has so far failed to publish research which examined the link between drink sales and drink-related social problems.
The party's justice spokesman, Kenny MacAskill MSP, brought a debate on the issue at Holyrood last Wednesday, claiming strict checks are needed to curb cheap beer and other low price alcohol offers in supermarkets and off licences in order to tackle drink abuse and binge-fuelled violence.
He said action is needed because Office of National Statistics figures show that men and women in Scotland are twice as likely to die an alcohol-related death as people in the United Kingdom as a whole.
