UK Government Plans for minimum alcohol price

[Irish Alan]

Is raising the price the answer to binge/under age drinking?

The government's top medical adviser has drawn up plans for a minimum price for alcohol which would double the cost of some drinks in England.

Under the proposal from Sir Liam Donaldson, no drinks could be sold for less than 50 pence per unit of alcohol they contain.

It would mean most bottles of wine could not be sold for less than £4.50.

Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander said the government would consider what Sir Liam had to say in his report.

But Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said ministers had no intention of going ahead with something that would punish the responsible majority of drinkers.

The proposal is aimed at tackling alcohol misuse and is set out in Sir Liam's annual report on the nation's health.

“ This would hit the pockets of hard-working families who are already struggling to make ends meet ”
David Poley, Portman Group

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "We have not ruled out taking action on very cheap alcohol - it's clearly linked to people drinking more and the subsequent harm to their health."

She said more work needed to be done to make sure action was "appropriate, fair and effective" but decisions would take the "wider economic impact during this difficult time" into account.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said it was important to deal with people's attitudes and not just the supply and price of alcohol.

The Liberal Democrats backed Sir Liam's stance and said putting an end to "pocket-money priced alcohol" would influence drinking behaviour.

Industry reaction

Carys Davis of Alcohol Concern said that setting a minimum price for alcohol would help deter youngsters from binge drinking.

HAVE YOUR SAY The way forward is to tackle the causes of alcohol addiction - raising the price would simply exacerbate the problem Ian Cheese, London, UK

She said: "It tends to bring up the prices of the alcoholic drinks that are drunk by harmful and very young drinkers, whereas you'll find that moderate drinkers tend not to really see a negligible financial effect."

Dr Chris Record, a liver specialist at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, said there was a "very, very close link between price and consumption" and increasing the price of alcohol would "target those people that are drinking at harmful or hazardous levels".

A Tesco spokeswoman said: "If government comes forward with a package of proposals including minimum alcohol pricing, we would enter into discussions positively".

The Portman Group, set up by drinks manufacturers to promote sensible drinking, opposes the plan.

Portman chief executive David Poley said: "This would have a marginal effect on harmful drinkers but force hard-working families to pay more for a drink."

Earlier this month the Scottish government published plans for a minimum price per unit of alcohol, which is strongly opposed by retailers and the drinks industry. No price threshold was set.

Setting a minimum price could have a particular impact on "own brand" or "value pack" beers and ciders.

Sir Liam's report is due to be published on Monday. The proposals as they stand do not apply to Wales or Northern Ireland.

The BBC's health correspondent Adam Brimelow said Sir Liam's recommendation would not automatically become government policy.

But he said Sir Liam was influential and had advocated a ban on smoking in public places long before it became law.

The NHS bill for alcohol abuse is an estimated £2.7bn a year.

The most recent figures show hospital admissions linked to alcohol use have more than doubled in England since 1995.

Alcohol was the main or secondary cause of 207,800 NHS admissions in 2006/7, compared to 93,500 in 1995/96.

The figures include hospital admissions for a specific alcohol-related condition - such as liver disease, but also admissions where alcohol is a contributory factor but not the main cause - such as falls due to drunkenness.

Of hospital admissions in 2006/7 specifically due to an alcohol-related diagnosis, almost one in 10 were in under 18 year olds.

The number of alcohol-related deaths in England has doubled since the early 1990s to nearly 9,000 a year.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/h ... 944334.stm

Published: 2009/03/15 16:59:10 GMT

© BBC MMIX

[LoongLee]

IrishAllen,,,,,,,,, a question,,,,, is there any illegal spirits production in the UK like there "used to be" in the US? We have a long history of production (white Lightning) in the Southern Appalachian mountains and an ongoing fight between "moonshiners" and "Revenuers".

[Irish Alan]

IrishAllen,,,,,,,,, a question,,,,, is there any illegal spirits production in the UK like there "used to be" in the US? We have a long history of production (white Lightning) in the Southern Appalachian mountains and an ongoing fight between "moonshiners" and "Revenuers".

Can't answer for the UK... But in Ireland there is the legendary poitín.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Poitín or Poteen (IPA [ˈpˠotʲiːn], also potcheen) is a traditional Irish distilled, highly alcoholic beverage (60%-95% ABV)[1]. Poitín was traditionally distilled in a small pot still and the term is a diminutive[2] of the Irish word pota, meaning "pot". Traditionally distilled from malted barley grain or potatoes, it is among the strongest alcoholic beverages in the world, and for centuries was classified as illegal or moonshine in Ireland.

An incredible drink... I would love to know what other drink can match this.

Getting back to my original question. I cannot see raising the price as the cure to under age/binge drinking.

[LoongLee]

Yeah, I was just wondering if raising the price would result in increased illegal production.

[Marmite The Dog]

IrishAllen,,,,,,,,, a question,,,,, is there any illegal spirits production in the UK like there "used to be" in the US? We have a long history of production (white Lightning) in the Southern Appalachian mountains and an ongoing fight between "moonshiners" and "Revenuers".

No, there isn't.

[BobHelm]

Marmite and IA are correct in their answers, private distillation has long been illegal in England. In reality England is a small country with a large population so not something that easy to do & get away with. However production of alcohol by non distillation is not illegal, so it is possible to make beer, cider & wine for a persons own use. While it is possible for the government to control the price of "kits" used to make these, it is not possible for them to do anything about "country wines" and cider as the ingredients are everyday raw materials, with other uses as well as alcohol production.
I am not surprised by the original article or the "rational" behind it. The Labour Government has been in power during a period of good economic growth (for all except the last 18 months) and did nothing to aid the wealth of the nation and secure it economically during this time. Most of the laws of any significance it has passed have all interfered with the way that ordinary citizens wish to conduct their life so that it must conform to a "norm" seen as desirable by the state.
A very sad state of affairs & will effect the root cause of the problem not 1 iota - the same as their other legislation!!

[Aardvark]

Would not be surprised if there were a few Stills stashed away in the Highlands of Scotland

[Dave58]

Well, the Uk Govt got to get some money from somewhere!

[LoongLee]

MTD,,,, that was a pretty emphatic NO. I find it hard to believe that no one is making some "shine" somewhere in Britain, especially since it's so easy to do. It seems the only way a government could prevent it would be to make the legal spirits so cheap it wouldn't be worth making it yourself.

[Laemthong]

If raising the price of cigarettes doesn't stop smoking, I don't believe that raising the price of alcohol will stop binge/under-age drinking. Possibly an increase in petty crime to fund the alcohol binges.

[gulfman]

[

Of hospital admissions in 2006/7 specifically due to an alcohol-related diagnosis, almost one in 10 were in under 18 year olds.

Doesn't that mean that more than 9 out of ten were over 18? So it's the over 18s who are the probelm!

[gulfman]

prolem, probelm, problem !! Definitely the 12% plonk!!

[Laemthong]

So do you think drunken under 18's are not a problem?

[Wisdom]

Government not bringing in minimum alcohol prices in England and Wales (The Guardian 16/03/2009) cos too near general election in May 2010, and a real vote loser! However, sadly for poor Scotland, their own government is bringing it in by end of this year. Not that i ever go to Scotland, but, as an Englishman, i feel for them, really.