Government outlines plans for minimum alcohol price

The Home Office has published its long-awaited plans to tackle binge drinking and alcohol, including a proposed minimum alcohol price of 40 pence per unit.

The measures, which also include the proposed late night levy, are contained in a consultation issued today by the Home Office.

According to the Home Office, the main elements of its alcohol strategy are to:

• Stem the flow of cheap alcohol, ensuring for the first time alcohol is sold at a sensible and appropriate price by:

· introducing a minimum unit price for alcohol; and

· consulting on a ban on multi-buy price promotions in shops.

• Put local people back at the heart of licensing decisions, and crack down on problem premises and alcohol-related offending including:

· stronger powers for local areas to control the density of licensed premises including making the impact on health a consideration for this;

· piloting innovative sobriety schemes to challenge alcohol-related offending;

· implementing a levy for late-night licences to contribute to the cost of extra policing, and allow communities to restrict the sale of alcohol between midnight and 6am; and

· doubling the fine to £20,000 for those found persistently selling alcohol to children.

• Build on the Responsibility Deal with greater industry action to prevent alcohol misuse by:

· giving people a wider choice of lower strength drinks in both shops and pubs, to take one billion units out of the market by 2015;

· providing clearer information on unit and calorie content; and

· more responsible product placement and marketing.

• Support individuals to change by helping them make informed choices about healthier and responsible drinking including:

· asking the Chief Medical Officer to conduct a review of the current alcohol guidelines for adults;

· through the provision of £448 million to turn around the lives of 120,000 troubled families; and

· providing effective treatment and recovery to help those who need routes out of dependency.

The Home Secretary Theresa May said: “We all know there is a significant minority in this country who drink dangerously and who cause disproportionate harm. Drunken brawls and disorder have made many town centres no-go areas for law-abiding citizens.

“The effects of such dangerous drinking – on crime; on communities; on children and on families – are clear. So we need to deal with the dangerous drinkers, crack down on the irresponsible businesses and stem the tide of cheap alcohol. That means providing punishment and treatment for those who have shown they can’t drink sensibly. It means tightening our licensing laws and cracking down on those who sell alcohol to children or drunks. And it means, for the first time, putting a sensible price on those drinks that cause harm.

“Most drinks will not be affected, but cheap vodka, super strength cider and lagers will go up in price. The dangerous drinks will become more expensive; the price of a normal pint in the local pub will not increase by a single penny.”

However, there remains some doubt whether the implementation of a minimum price will actually be possible under European competition law and a legal challenge to the plans is expected. If so, it is believed that the government will argue that the measures are a proportionate response to the healthcare and policing costs of binge drinking.