The Scottish government has confirmed that the minimum price for a unit of alcohol should be set at £0.50, with the scheme coming into force on 1 May 2018.
The decision was made following analysis of a public consultation, and the recommended price will now be laid before the Scottish parliament.
In November, the UK Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) to prevent the measures from going ahead, following a five-year legal battle.
Today, Scottish health secretary Shona Robison said the responses to the consultation indicated the majority of respondents who commented on the price were supportive of the £0.50 minimum unit price.
She said: “I am grateful to everyone who took the time to respond to the consultation on our proposed minimum price per unit of alcohol and I am happy to confirm that we will be moving forward with our recommendation of 50 pence.
“With alcohol on sale today in some places at just 16 pence per unit, we have to tackle the scourge of cheap, high-strength drink that causes so much damage to so many families. This move will save thousands of lives.”
It is estimated that alcohol misuse costs Scotland £3.6 billion a year. Its drinking problem is far worse than the rest of the UK. In 2016, 17% more alcohol was sold per adult in Scotland than in England and Wales.
Research has revealed that a minimum unit pricing of 50p would cut alcohol-related deaths by 392 and hospital admissions by 8,254 over the first five years of the policy.
Following last year’s Supreme Court ruling, SWA chief executive Karen Betts said: “We will now look to the Scottish and UK governments to support the industry against the negative effects of trade barriers being raised in overseas markets that discriminate against Scotch whisky as a consequence of minimum pricing, and to argue for fair competition on our behalf.
“This is vital in order that the jobs and investment the industry provides in Scotland are not damaged. At home, we hope to see an objective assessment of the impact of minimum unit pricing.”
Similar pricing measures are expected to be introduced by the Welsh assembly in spring.
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