28 November 2012
Last updated at 10:34 GMT
By Nick Triggle
Health correspondent, BBC News
Guy Mason from Morrisons believes minimum unit prices for alcohol would punish responsible customers
Ministers
are proposing a minimum price of 45p a unit for the sale of alcohol in
England and Wales as part of a drive to tackle problem drinking.
The Home Office has launched a 10-week consultation on the
plan, arguing it will help reduce the levels of ill-health and crime
related to alcohol.
It is also considering banning multi-buy promotions, such as two-for-the-price-of-one.
The 45p proposal is 5p higher than the figure suggested by ministers in March.
It comes after pressure has been mounting on the government to follow Scotland's lead, where 50p has been proposed.
The aim of a minimum price would be to alter the cost of
heavily-discounted drinks sold in shops and supermarkets. It is not
expected to affect the price of drinks in many pubs.
The Home Office said the consultation was targeted at "harmful drinkers and irresponsible shops".
A spokesman added: "Those who enjoy a quiet drink or two have nothing to fear from our proposals."
The 45p minimum would mean a can of strong lager could not be sold for less than £1.56 and a bottle of wine below £4.22.
Research carried out by Sheffield University for the
government shows a 45p minimum would reduce the consumption of alcohol
by 4.3%, leading to 2,000 fewer deaths and 66,000 hospital admissions
after 10 years.
The number of crimes would drop by 24,000 a year as well, researchers suggested.
There has been evidence of some outlets selling alcohol at a
loss to encourage customers through the doors, with cans of lager going
for 20p and two-litre bottles of cider available for under £2.
'Pre-loading'
Ministers have been particularly critical of such practices,
blaming them for what has been dubbed "pre-loading", where people
binge-drink before going out.
They have linked this phenomenon to the rising levels of
alcohol-related violence and hospital admissions, of which there are
more than a million a year.
But the idea of introducing a minimum price - first proposed
at 40p in the government's alcohol strategy published in March - has
been met with opposition by the industry.
The Scottish government plan, which is not due to start until
April 2013, was challenged on legal grounds by the Scotch Whisky
Association and the European Spirits Organisation.
Continue reading the main story
What's a unit?
- Half a pint of standard strength (4%) beer, cider or lager
- A single pub measure of spirit (25ml)
- Half a standard 175ml glass of wine
They claimed it was up to
Westminster, rather than Holyrood, to decide such an issue and they said
it was also incompatible with the EU's "general principles of free
trade and undistorted competition".
The legal challenges were heard in the Court of Session in
Edinburgh last month and a judgement is expected before the end of the
year.
Separately the European Commission is looking into the legality of the Scottish government's actions.
In Northern Ireland, consideration is also being given to minimum pricing, although no final decision has been taken yet.
Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, said: "Most
major retailers believe minimum pricing and controls on promotions are
unfair to most customers. They simply penalise the vast majority, who
are perfectly responsible drinkers, while doing nothing to reduce
irresponsible drinking.
"The government should recognise the role of personal
responsibility. It should not allow interfering in the market to
regulate prices and promotions to become the default approach for public
health policy."
Miles Beale, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade
Association, agreed, saying there was "no evidence" minimum alcohol
pricing would be effective in tackling alcohol misuse.
Continue reading the main story
The 45p effect
On the face of it, there seems to be little difference between
the 45p minimum unit price for alcohol now being proposed and the 40p
figure put forward earlier this year.
But in terms of consumption levels - and the subsequent criminal and health costs - the shift is significant.
Research by Sheffield University shows that at 45p consumption drops by 4.3% - a 75% greater effect than would be seen at 40p.
In terms of deaths over a 10-year period, the impact is
nearly double. A 45p minimum will save over 2,000 lives compared to
under 1,200 for 40p. The effect on crime is also two-fold.
But what the research also shows is that another 5p on the
minimum price to bring it to 50p - as Scotland has done - would see a
similar increase in impact, which is why campaigners have been pushing
for more.
Another area of interest - and possible controversy - is the effect this will have on moderate drinkers.
The research shows a 45p minimum price also affects their
buying habits, reducing consumption by 2.3%. That is greater than the
reduction likely to be seen in young hazardous drinkers - the so-called
binge drinkers.
But health campaigners believe a minimum price is an important step in tackling problem drinking.
Dr Vivienne Nathanson, from the British Medical Association,
said the changes in pricing could help to stop young people binge
drinking.
She told the BBC: "Alcohol is a dose-related poison, in other
words the more you drink the more harm it causes, so by reducing the
amount they are drinking over the safe limit you are helping to save
them.
"It isn't a small minority of the population who are drinking
excessively, it's nearly a quarter. That's a huge number of people who
are drinking at levels that are hazardous to their health and we really
have to throw everything we can (at it) to save lives."
Eric Appleby, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said:
"We're paying a heavy price for alcohol misuse and setting a minimum
unit price will help us on the road to changing this.
"But we cannot cut the misery caused by excessive drinking, whether it's crime or hospitalisation, through price alone.
"We need tighter controls around licensing, giving local
authorities and police forces all the tools they need to get a firm grip
on the way alcohol is being sold in their area. We have an opportunity
to make an enormous difference to the lives of thousands of people - we
must seize it."
COPY http://www.bbc.co.uk/news
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