Scots minister committed to minimum pricing

Scottish Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill has slammed irresponsible supermarket promotions and vowed to continue with plans to introduce minimum pricing.

Speaking this week at a meeting of the United Kingdom and Ireland Licensed Trade Association (UKILTA) the minister said he was not "anti-alcohol" and talked about the "real benefits of the pub."

He told the meeting in Stirling: "Perhaps the biggest challenge to this trade is the continuing shift towards drinking at home.

"A challenge made all the more difficult with the continued deep-discounting, loss-leading and irresponsible promotions run by supermarkets.

"Supermarket pricing and promotions means that people are willing to give up the real benefits of the pub and club experience so they can buy more alcohol at 40p a pint or vodka at £8 a bottle.

"Surely it cannot be right that alcohol is available in the big retailers at less than you can get it for at the wholesalers. It cannot be right that cider can be cheaper than water."

He added that "radical" step of minimum pricing was needed to make a "real difference" to alcohol related social problems and that the government would not be put off by "armchair lawyers".

"Our proposals for minimum pricing have attracted support from the health lobby as you would expect but it is also clear that many parts of the alcohol industry and the licensed trade are behind us," he added.

The Scottish National Party plans to introduce minimum pricing in Scotland next year as well as a host of other measures to tackle alcohol abuse.

The move has been backed by the UKILTA, whose members include the Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association and the Federation of Retail Licensed Trade of Northern Ireland.

In a statement the group said: "Alcohol is no ordinary commodity and should not be sold in the same way as milk or beans.

"We believe a radical minimum pricing policy, rigorously enforced can help combat alcohol abuse, particularly among the young.

"We applaud the Scottish Government for leading this debate, which will hopefully lead to the implementation of this desirable legislation."

The Publican​ is campaigning for the introduction of a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol. For more information visit Make it the Minimum​