Hansard

What Jackie Baillie does not tell members is that, before saying that, Yvette Cooper said that she supported minimum pricing. That is the position of Yvette Cooper and of Labour south of the border. No matter how hard Scottish Labour tries to find the fig leaf to hide its embarrassment, its position is one of isolation and—if it has any sense—complete embarrassment and shame. However, it is not too late for Labour members to redeem themselves at 5 o’clock by joining the consensus in favour of the policy.

Having used five minutes of my generous 10 minutes, I will address issues that have arisen in the debate. Early in the debate, people often posed the question why, if we had powers over excise duty, we would not prefer to use excise duty as the best way to address the issue. In answer to that question, I pose a question: if using excise duty is the better way to proceed, why has the UK Government, which has excise duty powers, also opted for minimum pricing? The answer is that the UK Government has come to the same conclusion as we came to, which is that minimum pricing is a more effective way of targeting the cheap, high-strength alcohol that is causing so much damage in our society.

I say to those who are concerned about the impact of minimum pricing on various groups that, as I said during consideration of amendments this afternoon, we will monitor and evaluate the impact and we will consider the effect on people such as those on low incomes, harmful drinkers and young drinkers.

To those who say that the policy is not legal, I reiterate my view that minimum pricing per unit of alcohol complies with European Union law, provided that it is justified on the basis of public health and social grounds. I am confident that the policy is justified in Scotland.

I take the opportunity to tell Parliament that, following the bill’s passage, we will commence the process of EU notification under the technical standards directive. The draft order that sets the price will be notified as soon as possible, with all the accompanying documents, including the bill—or act, as it will be. That process will happen as quickly as possible, and notification will certainly take place well within one month of the bill’s passage today.

Minimum pricing will make a significant difference, but it is not—and I have never argued that it is—a magic bullet. We should not forget that we have in place many other measures to tackle alcohol misuse. The framework for action sets out more than 40 measures that seek to reduce consumption, to support families and communities, to encourage more positive attitudes and positive choices and to improve treatment and support services.

That broader approach also focuses on education, diversionary activity, support for families and preventive measures, such as alcohol brief interventions. We have made record investment of £196 million to tackle alcohol misuse since 2008. The bulk of the funding is being invested in local prevention, treatment and support services. Along with minimum pricing and other measures, such as the approach to quantity discounts and irresponsible promotion of alcohol, that wider package will help to create the cultural shift that is required if we are to change our relationship with alcohol.

The inescapable fact is that alcohol misuse affects each and every one of us. Whether we drink a lot, a little or not at all, each and every one of us pays £900 every year towards the cost of alcohol misuse. That money could be better spent elsewhere.

Last week I announced that I am minded to set the minimum price at 50p per unit. That was not an easy decision, because there is an important balance to be struck between the benefits to public health and the impact on industry. The decision was made after taking account of relevant factors, which have been updated since I proposed a price per unit of alcohol of 45p in September 2010. Factors included the updated modelling that has been carried out by the University of Sheffield, and data on alcohol sales, price bands, affordability and harm. In addition, I took account of the fact that the earliest the policy is likely to be implemented is April 2013.

Taking all those factors into account, 50p per unit is broadly equivalent to the 45p that was announced in 2010. More important, it is estimated that the minimum unit price will deliver significant benefits. I remind the Parliament of those benefits: 60 fewer deaths in the first year, 1,200 fewer alcohol-related illnesses in the first year and 1,600 fewer hospital admissions in the first year. It is also estimated that there will be around 3,500 fewer crimes per year. Over 10 years, we expect 300 fewer deaths per year and nearly 4,000 fewer illnesses and 6,500 fewer hospital admissions.

I absolutely accept that people ask whether the modelling will translate into reality. However, if we think that benefits on anywhere near the scale of those in the model are within our grasp, we have a moral duty to go for them. That is what the Government is doing.

Presiding Officer, I suspect that your generosity is running out, so I will come to a close. Tackling alcohol misuse is one of the most important public health challenges that we face in Scotland. The Parliament has the opportunity today to take a significant step towards reducing alcohol-related harm. I sincerely hope that members of all parties will support the bill and create an historic moment for the public health of Scotland’s people.

It gives me great pleasure to move,

That the Parliament agrees that the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill be passed.

15:53