Scotland vote to keep MUP

Yesterday, the Scottish Parliament voted to keep minimum unit pricing for alcohol, and increase it to 65p per unit, following an independent evaluation by Public Health Scotland, further public consultation and intense parliamentary scrutiny.

Alison Douglas, CEO of Alcohol Focus Scotland said:

“Uprating of the minimum unit price to 65p per unit will save hundreds of lives and reduce demand on our NHS. This will improve the lives not just of people who drink but those around them, whose health and wellbeing can be affected. Crucially it will reduce the likelihood that future generations will develop alcohol problems. But there is so much more to do. Now we must address how alcohol is marketed as a glamorous, fun product, while giving us limited information which we need to make healthy choices.”

In the UK, both Scotland and Wales have minimum unit pricing (MUP), but England and Northern Ireland do not. Last year, Public Health Scotland published an independent report  showing that MUP has had a positive impact on health outcomes, including addressing alcohol-related health inequalities.

In our 2019 survey of UK DsPH, 83% of respondents said that they strongly supported the introduction of an MUP in England.

The UK Government has previously said it will wait for the report in Scotland before considering whether to introduce MUP in England.