Chamber
Plenary, 07 Mar 2007
07 Mar 2007 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Alcohol Misuse
Alcohol misuse is one of the most serious public health problems facing Scotland. Long gone are the days of my youth, when alcohol was available at home only during the festive season. Friday and Saturday evenings saw the occasional drunk, usually middle-aged and male, staggering out of the pub at the 9.30 closing time. Pubs, with their sawdust-strewn floors, were not where respectable women would be seen, of whatever age.
Contrast that with any city centre today, with hordes of young men and women spilling out of nightclubs as late as 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning in a sorry state of inebriation. Girls as young as 15 boast of having no recollection of what took place on a night out, and many young people of both sexes end up in accident and emergency departments, which struggle to cope with the influx of drunk patients, particularly at weekends. It is small wonder that there is an increase in antisocial and violent behaviour, in road accidents, in sexually transmitted disease, in unwanted pregnancies and, ultimately, in the onset of alcohol-related liver disease at an alarmingly early age.
Every six hours someone in Scotland dies from alcohol abuse—a stark statistic that masks the misery, pain and suffering of lives destroyed, relationships ruined and the devastation of grieving families. I am glad that the SNP has brought the debate to Parliament today because we must find some way of changing today's binge-drinking culture into one in which alcohol is enjoyed by the majority of people at a level that is safe and, indeed, can be beneficial to our health.
There is no quick fix to culture change, but it can be achieved, as we have seen with drink driving, smoking and the wearing of seat belts. It takes years of education, hard-hitting public broadcasting and often, ultimately, legislation. We have a long way to go in the battle against the misuse of alcohol.
We must start by curbing underage drinking. Young people and their parents must be made aware of its serious consequences, and parents must learn that it is unacceptable to turn a blind eye to their teenage children's activities. My local community policeman tells the story of an irate, well-to-do, west-end parent claiming back a bottle of vodka confiscated from her 14-year-old son, because she had given it to him. Such irresponsible behaviour simply cannot be condoned.
Retailers must play their part in enforcing the law. It can be difficult to judge the age of a teenager, and I commend the social responsibility of retailers who voluntarily refuse to sell alcohol to people under the age of 21 and ask for proof of age. Community police have a good record of locating and dispersing underage drinking groups, but sadly, too few of our communities benefit from a police presence at night.
The new licensing legislation approved in 2005 is meant to end the happy-hour culture and stamp out speed drinking in pubs and clubs, but ahead of its implementation in 2009 some licensees are already replacing happy hours with rolling promotions of cheap drink and spirit prices as low as 50p.
Contrast that with any city centre today, with hordes of young men and women spilling out of nightclubs as late as 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning in a sorry state of inebriation. Girls as young as 15 boast of having no recollection of what took place on a night out, and many young people of both sexes end up in accident and emergency departments, which struggle to cope with the influx of drunk patients, particularly at weekends. It is small wonder that there is an increase in antisocial and violent behaviour, in road accidents, in sexually transmitted disease, in unwanted pregnancies and, ultimately, in the onset of alcohol-related liver disease at an alarmingly early age.
Every six hours someone in Scotland dies from alcohol abuse—a stark statistic that masks the misery, pain and suffering of lives destroyed, relationships ruined and the devastation of grieving families. I am glad that the SNP has brought the debate to Parliament today because we must find some way of changing today's binge-drinking culture into one in which alcohol is enjoyed by the majority of people at a level that is safe and, indeed, can be beneficial to our health.
There is no quick fix to culture change, but it can be achieved, as we have seen with drink driving, smoking and the wearing of seat belts. It takes years of education, hard-hitting public broadcasting and often, ultimately, legislation. We have a long way to go in the battle against the misuse of alcohol.
We must start by curbing underage drinking. Young people and their parents must be made aware of its serious consequences, and parents must learn that it is unacceptable to turn a blind eye to their teenage children's activities. My local community policeman tells the story of an irate, well-to-do, west-end parent claiming back a bottle of vodka confiscated from her 14-year-old son, because she had given it to him. Such irresponsible behaviour simply cannot be condoned.
Retailers must play their part in enforcing the law. It can be difficult to judge the age of a teenager, and I commend the social responsibility of retailers who voluntarily refuse to sell alcohol to people under the age of 21 and ask for proof of age. Community police have a good record of locating and dispersing underage drinking groups, but sadly, too few of our communities benefit from a police presence at night.
The new licensing legislation approved in 2005 is meant to end the happy-hour culture and stamp out speed drinking in pubs and clubs, but ahead of its implementation in 2009 some licensees are already replacing happy hours with rolling promotions of cheap drink and spirit prices as low as 50p.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman):
Lab
The next item of business is a debate on motion S2M-5692, in the name of Kenny MacAskill, on tackling alcohol misuse.
Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP):
SNP
The Scottish National Party's motion seeks to express the concern that is shared throughout the Parliament—and increasingly throughout the land—that Scotland...
Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab):
Lab
Does the member welcome the alcohol test purchasing scheme that is being rolled out, after being piloted in Fife, whereby retailers who sell alcohol to under...
Mr MacAskill:
SNP
The test purchasing scheme is welcomed in the motion, and the member's comment about education for parents and children brings us back to the culture change ...
The Deputy Minister for Finance, Public Service Reform and Parliamentary Business (George Lyon):
LD
I welcome the opportunity to talk about an important subject and describe actions that we have taken as part of a long-term process of changing culture—I am ...
Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP):
SNP
Will the minister give way?
George Lyon:
LD
I have quite a bit to say and I want to make progress, but I will give way to the member soon.We cannot have a short-term approach that targets one issue but...
Bruce Crawford:
SNP
Yesterday, the Local Government and Transport Committee considered a statutory instrument that will allow clubs to open to the public and sell cheaper drink,...
George Lyon:
LD
As Mr Crawford will remember from discussing the matter in committee, the occasional licences provided for by the regulations that we dealt with yesterday ar...
Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind):
Ind
Will the member give way?
George Lyon:
LD
I do not have a lot of time, but yes.
Margo MacDonald:
Ind
It is just a quick question. Will the Executive ban drink that is considered to be too high in its alcoholic content?
George Lyon:
LD
I am just coming to that matter. For on-sales premises, we are banning promotions that offer alcohol free or at a reduced price on the purchase of another dr...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Murray Tosh):
Con
You have one minute left.
George Lyon:
LD
We will shortly publish the outcome of research that examined issues around off-sales promotions and antisocial behaviour, as we promised during the stage 1 ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
Quickly.
George Lyon:
LD
We can change culture, as the smoking ban shows. It is about creating a society where alcohol misuse is no longer acceptable.
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
You must close.
George Lyon:
LD
That inclusive approach is the right way to tackle Scotland's love affair with the booze.I move amendment S2M-5692.2, to leave out from "with concern" to end...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
I call Nanette Milne to open for the Conservatives. You have four minutes.
Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con):
Con
Alcohol misuse is one of the most serious public health problems facing Scotland. Long gone are the days of my youth, when alcohol was available at home only...
George Lyon:
LD
I hope that the member will recognise that we can amend the schedule to the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 to deal with the situation if we think that on-sale...
Mrs Milne:
Con
Yes, I appreciate that, minister.
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
You have one minute, Mrs Milne.
Mrs Milne:
Con
There are so many licensed premises today that competition for custom is fierce, and licensing boards should be seriously considering the proliferation of al...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
I must hurry you, Mrs Milne.
Mrs Milne:
Con
The Conservatives have previously called for a crackdown on owners of licensed premises that sell to underage drinkers and for businesses to become more invo...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
You really must close.
Mrs Milne:
Con
We must support all initiatives to safeguard our society against alcohol abuse.I move amendment S2M-5692.1, to leave out from "and calls" to end and insert:"...
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Con
I must stress to members that four minutes means four minutes—not four and a half, or four and three quarters. The rest of the speeches will have to be timed...