Dame Stringer to lead Scotch Whisky Action Fund

Academic professor Dame Joan K Stringer has been appointed chairman of the Scotch Whisky Action Fund, a group set up last year by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) to tackle alcohol-related harm.

Dame Joan Stringer will help the Scotch Whisky Action Fund tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland

Dame Stringer will lead the fund’s work to invest in charities and projects that work to reduce the impact of alcohol-related harm in Scotland.

Established last year and managed by independent charity, Foundation Scotland, the fund will donate £100,000 each year from 2014 to 2018 to projects.

Dame Stringer, a British political scientist specialising in higher education, will be the first chair of the fund.

She said: “I believe the Scotch Whisky Action Fund will have a vital part to play in tackling alcohol-related harm across Scotland.

“There are many innovative projects which will benefit from the fund and I am committed to having an active role in its development and spreading the word across Scotland.”

The SWA is currently fighting against plans to introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) in Scotland, a matter than has been referred to the European Court of Justice.

While activists claim MUP will help to reduce alcohol-related harm in the country, the SWA has blasted the proposal as “ineffective”. It has stated the “right way” to tackle the issue is with “targeted help” rather than “blanket policies”.

David Frost, chief executive of the SWA, said: “Alcohol brings a range of benefits to Scottish society and economy, but we realise there is a problem with misuse that must be tackled. The fund, with Dame Joan as a driving force behind it, will help in the fight against misuse.”