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Retailers slam Scottish alcohol plan
Scottish retailers have attacked plans to restrict sales of alcohol north of the border.
The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said the Scottish Government’s alcohol plans will simply add costs to responsible shoppers without making any difference to irresponsible drinking.
Reacting to the Government’s ‘Framework for Action on Alcohol’, published today, the SRC argued it makes no sense to penalise the majority of Scottish drinkers who consume perfectly responsibly. Legislation should instead focus on targeting the minority of people who misuse alcohol, it said.
SRC director Fiona Moriarty said: “Irresponsible drinking is not about price or availability yet this is the main focus of the Government’s approach. We need to develop solutions that educate rather than alienate. Instead, the Government has retreated to its bunker and is neither listening to the evidence presented or willing to tackle these issues in a consensual manner.
“Scotland’s relationship with alcohol is deep-rooted and complex. We’re fully committed to playing our part in tackling alcohol misuse. It’s in no one’s interests to encourage abuse. But we should accept it’s only a small minority of Scots who have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. Poorly thought-through legislation will not change that but will penalise the overwhelming majority of customers who consume alcohol perfectly responsibly.”
Moriarty stressed the SRC and its members are at the forefront of tackling under-age drinking. Retailers pioneered voluntary initiatives such as Challenge 21.
Under this scheme all customers who appear under 21 are challenged to produce accredited identification to show they are over 18. If they cannot, alcohol is not sold to them. Retailers are now in the process of rolling out Challenge 25 - which works on the same principle.
Retailers have also led the way on ‘Know Your Limits’ units of alcohol labelling, to help customers regulate how much they are drinking.
On minimum pricing, Moriarty said: “We were expecting the Government to spell out the legal means they intend to use to achieve one of the most fundamental changes for Scottish customers in recent history. Instead all we have is a hint that existing licensing laws will be used. How can it be right that this major change bypasses full public and parliamentary scrutiny?
“The Scottish Government is wrong to believe there is a link between price and alcohol misuse. Prices and promotions are broadly the same across the UK but alcohol related deaths are far higher in Scotland than England, which clearly shows Scotland’s relationship with alcohol is deep-rooted and complex. At a time when customers’ finances are under severe pressure it’s incredible that the Scottish Government believes voters will thank them for using the force of law to push up prices.
“Arguments about price and alcohol consumption by under-18s are utterly spurious. They should not be buying it anyway and retailers’ Challenge 21, and now Challenge 25 initiatives have substantially cut under-age buying from major retailers.”
On restricting promotions such as buy-one-get-one-free, Moriarty said: “Promotions don’t create excessive consumption. They simply offer customers value for money alongside other groceries. Promotional activity tends to be on larger volumes, which are consumed with friends and family over an extended period. These measures will penalise the majority of Scots who drink perfectly responsibly and will not be welcomed by customers at a time when family budgets are under strain and value matters more than ever.”
On the “muddled and confusing” approach to raising the age for buying alcohol in shops to 21, Moriarty said: “We should be encouraging young people to have a healthy and responsible attitude to drink. This plan will confuse customers, demonise alcohol and set up a whole range of ridiculous anomalies.
“How can it be right that a 19-year-old can drink all they like in a pub, work in a pub or a shop serving alcohol and be able to buy alcohol in some shops in some towns but not others?”
Topics: Alcohol |
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