GREEN LIGHT FOR ALCOHOL BILL

GREEN LIGHT FOR ALCOHOL BILL

SNP WELCOME COMMITTEE REPORT

The SNP today welcomed the green light for Scotland’s alcohol legislation from the Parliament’s Health committee.

The Committee has recommended that Parliament back the bill in the first vote as it confirmed the Government’s view that minimum pricing for alcohol is legal.

Commenting on the Committee’s report SNP MSP and Committee member Michael Matheson said:

“The Committee’s green light for this legislation is welcome and I hope Parliament will follow the Committee’s recommendations and back the bill.

“The Committee’s agreement with the Government’s view that minimum pricing for alcohol is legal and that there is a key connection between price, availability and consumption is a strong step forward and something I hope all parties will now support.

“This report shows that the Government’s plans are about more than minimum pricing and support for a social responsibility fee, action on discount sales and tighter controls on sales to young people through ID schemes is all welcome and will help build a package of measures to tackle our relationship with alcohol.

“There can be no denying that we need to deal with the problem of alcohol in our society, it's social and economic cost, and that what is needed are serious and considered proposals such as those from the Scottish Government, not gimmicks, and I hope all opposition parties will take that approach.”