Hansard

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith) Lab

The next item of business is a debate on motion S4M-14673, in the name of Richard Simpson, on the Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Sc...

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

I am pleased to open the stage 1 debate on my Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Scotland) Bill, although I regret the brevity of the t...

Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab) Lab

I want to begin with some verse—a risky business, I suppose. “Oh, thou demon Drink, thou fell destroyer; Thou curse of society, and its greatest annoyer. ...

The Minister for Public Health (Maureen Watt) SNP

As members are aware, the Scottish Government does not support the bill progressing to stage 2, and I note from its stage 1 report that the majority of the H...

Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab

Can the minister clarify for Parliament when she expects her group of experts to report, and when will the proposals that will be drawn up on the back of tha...

Maureen Watt SNP

The conference was held in October or November last year, and we set up the network of experts in the field. They will feed in to the next part of the framew...

Graeme Pearson (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab

I speak on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party and in support of the Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Scotland) Bill at stage 1. I ac...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

You must close, please.

Graeme Pearson Lab

I would like to think that, by the end of the debate—short as it is—there will be support for the general principles of the bill at stage 1 so that it can be...

Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con) Con

I commend Richard Simpson for the tenacity that he has shown over almost four years since he lodged a draft proposal for a member’s bill to prevent and tackl...

Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP) SNP

As I am not a member of the Health and Sport Committee, members may be surprised to see me speaking. I would like to put it on the record that the deputy con...

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

We now move to closing speeches. 17:51

Jackson Carlaw (West Scotland) (Con) Con

Presiding Officer, there has been a 300 per cent increase in alcohol-related liver disease mortality over the last 30 years and over 35,000 alcohol-related s...

Christian Allard SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

Jackson Carlaw Con

No, I will not. We have a difficulty because we do not doubt Richard Simpson’s commitment over a great period—as he said, he was motivated to introduce the ...

Christian Allard SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

The Deputy Presiding Officer Lab

The member is closing.

Jackson Carlaw Con

Attitudes have to change, and it will take more than I have heard from the Government so far during this session of Parliament to make that happen. 17:55

Jenny Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab) Lab

It is with great regret that I rise to close the debate on behalf of the Labour Party. As Jackson Carlaw powerfully put it, alcohol continues to be one of th...

Christian Allard SNP

Will the member take an intervention?

Jenny Marra Lab

No—I will not at the moment, thank you. It seems that the Government has placed all its eggs in one basket, looking for a big-hit public health policy and t...

Maureen Watt SNP

I am grateful to parliamentary colleagues for their contributions to what has been an interesting, if short, debate. Members have complained about how short ...

Jenny Marra Lab

Will the minister give way?

Maureen Watt SNP

Not at the moment. We are doing lots. On the inequalities issue that Graeme Pearson highlighted, I note that the ratio for alcohol-related mortality rates b...

Dr Simpson Lab

I do not deny the progress that has been made since 2001—indeed, I will refer to that when I sum up—but I have a major concern about the budget, in which the...

Maureen Watt SNP

The member will be aware that some health boards were not passing on the justice-related money to the ADPs. We know that health boards can make up that fundi...

The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick) NPA

You need to start to wind up, minister.

Maureen Watt SNP

We know about the pilot projects in Newcastle and in Fife. We are concerned that the widespread use of container marking would be disproportionate and we are...

The Presiding Officer NPA

You really need to wind up, minister.

Maureen Watt SNP

—and everybody should go and look at what Aberdeen has managed to do. It used to be a place where people would not go for a night out, and now it is very muc...