Minimum unit pricing tops Welsh govt ‘priorities’

Wales looks set to join Scotland in a bid to introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol, as the country’s first minister names the legislation among his top five priority bills for the coming year.

First minister for Wales Carwyn Jones has named MUP as a ‘priority’

Carwyn Jones, leader of the devolved Welsh government, has said the introduction of MUP legislation will tackle harmful alcohol consumption.

Government documents claim there is a “direct link” between harmful drinking levels and cheap alcohol.

The proposed Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) Bill will calculate minimum prices for alcoholic drinks based on strength and volume.

Local authorities would be given powers to enforce the legislation and bring prosecutions.

MUP lines up alongside bills concerning free childcare provision, protection against unfair tenancy fees, and local government reform.

“The bills we intend to introduce during the second year of this Assembly will support our efforts to build a Wales that is healthy and active, prosperous and secure, ambitious and learning and united and connected,” the first minister said.

The policy shift towards MUP in Wales comes just before the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) heads to the UK Supreme Court to challenge a 2016 Scottish government decision to back MUP with a set price of 50p per unit of alcohol.

The SWA argues that implementing MUP is illegal when there are “less trade restrictive measures” available. The organisation believes doing so could “severely damage” the Scotch whisky industry’s export markets, as well as the Scottish economy.

It is a view backed by the European Court of Justice, which ruled in 2015 that Scotland’s plan to introduce a minimum unit price on alcohol breaches EU trade laws.

The UK’s Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has also campaigned against MUP policy.

“Research shows that MUP will not stop the small minority of harmful drinkers, but instead tax the majority of consumers who enjoy alcohol as part of a healthy lifestyle,” said Miles Beale, WSTA chief executive after the Scottish government’s 2016 ruling to back the policy.

“Trends in government data show clearly that the UK has been drinking ever more responsibly over the last ten years – with consumption dropping by a fifth. This has been in large part achieved by partnership working between industry and government in a targeted manner.”