Justice minister holds firm on minimum pricing

Related tags Minister kenny macaskill Edinburgh

Scottish justice minister Kenny MacAskill has thrown down the gauntlet to any supermarkets planning to contest the SNP's bid to launch Britain's...

Scottish justice minister Kenny MacAskill has thrown down the gauntlet to any supermarkets planning to contest the SNP's bid to launch Britain's first drinks minimum pricing regime.

Repeatedly promising the Scottish government means business, he told an Edinburgh conference yesterday that supermarket chiefs he said were once difficult to contact have recently requested his mobile phone number for private chats about likely future Holyrood policies.

The Scottish government is currently considering public consultation responses on moves aimed at curbing Scotland's chronic drink abuse record.

MacAskill, a professionally-qualified lawyer, shrugged off news reports suggesting that minimum prices could face a court challenge.

He said: "We have expert legal advice in the Scottish government, and we have the Scottish courts system. We have reached a tipping point in our nation's history - the Scottish government has to do what it is right."

His robust assertion that Holyrood will tackle what he argues are loss-leading supermarket drink prices won strong backing from doctors and hospital administrators at the conference, which aimed to address the link between alcohol and violence in Scottish society.

NHS Scotland board member Joan Fraser told delegates: "In my local supermarket they are advertising cheap drink in regular announcements to shoppers, saying 'buy now for Christmas', and there is drink on sale in every aisle."

She confessed she'd taken advantage of some offers herself but added: "This cannot be right."

MacAskill told the meeting he agreed with Scottish Licensed Trade Association chief executive Paul Waterson that some off trade drink prices were effectively loss leaders - because after tax and VAT they couldn't possibly make a realistic profit.

But he stressed that what he saw as irresponsible prices and promotions should be tackled across both on and off trades.

Related topics Legislation

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