Minimum alcohol pricing to start in May

Scotland will introduce minimum pricing for booze on 1 May next year, the Scottish government has announced.

The move will elevate the cost of the strongest, cheapest booze by setting a minimum cost per unit.

Health Secretary Shona Robison told MSPs that she expected the cost to be set at 50 p-per-unit, but this will be subject to a consultation.

She said the measure was needed to tackle the “devastation” caused by cheap, high-strength alcohol.

The 50 p-per-unit minimum would raise the cost of the cheapest bottle of red wine( 9.4 units of booze) to PS4. 69, while a four-pack of 500ml cans of 4% lager (8 divisions) would expenditure at least PS4 and a 70 cl bottle of whisky( 28 units of booze) could not be sold for less than PS14.

Normal strength cider( 5% ABV) would expenditure at least PS2. 50 a litre but a super-strength version( 7.5% ABV) would have to cost a minimum of PS3. 75 for a litre.

Key weapon

Minimum pricing is largely aimed at cheap lager, cider and hearts sold in supermarkets and off-licenses.

But it would leave more expensive boozes unaffected, and is unlikely to impact on sales in tavern and clubs.

The Scottish government views the measure as a key weapon in the fight against orgy booze, with people in Scotland said to buy 20% more booze on average than those working in England and Wales.

Alcohol Focus Scotland research from last year suggested that the maximum recommended weekly intake of booze – 14 units – could be bought for just PS2. 52, with super-strength cider and own-brand vodka and whisky can be found at as little as 18 p per unit of alcohol.

Minimum pricing for booze

Examples of prices

PS1 4

Whisky( 70 cl bottle at 40% ABV)

PS1 3.13 Vodka( 70 cl bottle at 37.5% ABV)

PS1 Lager( 500 ml can at 4% ABV)

PS2. 50 Cider( 1 litre bottle at 5% – normal strength)

PS4. 69 Red wine( 75 cl bottle at 12.5% ABV)

Image caption Ms Robison demonstrated the start date in the Scottish Parliament