MS, Minister for Mental
Health and Wellbeing: The Senedd passed the Public Health
(Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018 and subsequent
regulations to set and introduce a 50p minimum unit price for
alcohol. This came into force on 2 March 2020, immediately before
the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The legislation aims to help tackle alcohol-related harm by
reducing the amount of alcohol consumed by hazardous and harmful
drinkers. Minimum unit pricing combats the sale of alcohol at
very low prices, which is drunk in large volumes and can put
people at long-term risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, liver
disease and brain damage. It is targeted at protecting the health
of hazardous and harmful drinkers who tend to consume greater
quantities of low-cost and high-alcohol content products.
Building on research elsewhere, notably in Scotland, independent
evaluations of the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol)
(Wales) Act have been undertaken via four complementary studies,
each looking at different aspects of its implementation. The
final reports are being today published at Research into minimum pricing
for alcohol | GOV.WALES.
Assessing the impact of the legislation against the backdrop of
the pandemic, persistently high levels of inflation and the
cost-of-living crisis has been challenging. However, the studies
suggest the legislation has been broadly welcomed and implemented
in an effective fashion.
The Welsh Government has enjoyed an excellent working
relationship with Trading Standards Wales in the enforcement of
the legislation, which reported just six fines following more
than 3,000 inspections.
The contribution analysis report, which draws on a suite of
studies and evidence from around the world, concludes that we
“should renew rather than lose the option of the legislation as
an alcohol policy measure in Wales”. The report also recommends
increasing the level of the minimum unit price to at least 65p to
sustain the policy's value and the positive impacts observed
so far.
The evaluation suggests a near-universal agreement among service
providers and professionals that minimum pricing policy should
not be abolished, with some suggesting a gradual price increase
per unit, to ensure it remains in line with inflation.
The evidence shows the legislation has had an impact on the sale
of cheap, high-strength alcohol products, with prices increasing.
This has resulted in customers purchasing less of this type of
product and fewer retailers stocking them. This is a positive
step towards reducing alcohol-related harm and supporting people
to drink responsibly in Wales.
Concerns were raised during the passage of the legislation about
people substituting alcohol for other illegal substances and
about cross-border shopping. The evaluations found minimal
evidence to suggest individuals who were primary drinkers (and
not already using drugs) were likely to start using drugs as a
result of higher alcohol prices. Evidence of cross-border
shopping appears to be small scale and most evident among
communities living close to the border.
I welcome these evaluations and the findings of the interim
reports. I want to be clear the legislation is only one component
of our wider alcohol policy interventions. We continue to provide
support to our Area Planning Boards for treatment services and
are investing more than £67m a year in our substance misuse
agenda, including ring-fenced funding of £6.25m to support
children and young people.
Under the terms of the Act, we must provide a report on the
operation and effect of the legislation. In preparing this
report, we must consult the Senedd and others, as appropriate.
The findings of these evaluations and the wider evidence-base
will inform this report, and I have approved a 12-week
consultation with relevant stakeholders, whose input will
contribute to the report. This will include capturing the views
of the public via ongoing survey research undertaken by Public
Health Wales. I will also be writing to the Health and Social
Care Committee asking it to consider undertaking a short call for
evidence on minimum unit pricing.
