Alcohol plans set to be unveiled
Monday 16th March 2009
Plans to set minimum prices for alcohol are expected to be unveiled by the governments top medical adviser.
Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, will publish his annual report on Monday morning.
It has been widely reported he will call for minimum prices based on the units of alcohol drinks contain.
But so far the plans have not attracted the support of ministers who say they have no intention of punishing the "responsible majority".
Sir Liam''''s proposals could mean most bottles of wine could not be sold for less than £4.50.
Mixed reception
The Department of Health said it had not ruled out taking action on very cheap alcohol.
But the work and pensions minister James Purnell told the BBC on Sunday that the government was unwilling to raise the price of drink during a recession.
He said: "We need to look at the proposals, but we''''re saying we have no intention of going ahead with something that would punish the responsible majority."
The Conservatives say it is important to deal with people''''s attitudes to drinking, not just supply and price, while the Liberal Democrats support putting an end to "pocket-money priced" alcohol.
Sir Liam''''s idea has the backing of Alcohol Concern, but the drinks industry''''s Portman Group believes it would have a marginal effect on harmful drinkers.
The NHS bill for alcohol abuse is an estimated £2.7bn a year.
The most recent figures show hospital admissions linked to alcohol use have more than doubled in England since 1995.
Scottish plans
The Scottish Government has already proposed minimum pricing.
Earlier this month SNP ministers put forward the suggestion to stop alcohol being sold at cut-price offers.
If the plans were adopted, Scotland will become the first country in Europe to take such a measure.
Both Wales and Northern Ireland have also expressed an interest in minimum pricing, while ministers in England have said they would not rule it out in the long-term.
Last year, research published by Sheffield University - and commissioned by the Department of Health - concluded increasing the price of alcohol would be one of the most effective measures to tackle alcohol abuse.
Petra Meier, one of the Sheffield team, said a 50p minimum price would lead to a cut of 7% in alcohol consumption across the board, and 10% cut among heavy drinkers.
This, she estimated, would cut alcohol-related deaths by about 3,400 a year, and alcohol-related hospital admissions by about 100,000 a year.
