Asked by Lord Rennard To ask Her Majesty’s Government what
assessment they have made of the cost benefits to the National
Health Service and police of introducing minimum unit pricing for
alcohol in England. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of
State, Department of Health and Social Care (Lord O’Shaughnessy)
(Con) My Lords,...Request free
trial
Asked by
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of
Health and Social Care (Lord O’Shaughnessy) (Con)
My Lords, data from the Sheffield University alcohol policy
model in 2015 estimated that, in 10 years, minimum unit
pricing could on an annual basis reduce alcohol-related
deaths by 356, alcohol-related hospital admissions by
28,515, and crime by 34,931 crimes. Minimum unit pricing
remains under review and the Government will consider the
evidence of its impact once it is available.
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(LD)
My Lords, figures issued today by the Institute of Alcohol
Studies suggest that, for each hour worked, it is possible
to buy three times as much supermarket beer as was the case
30 years ago. Given the statistics which the Minister cited
from the University of Sheffield, is it not urgent that we
act to prevent the sale of perhaps four cans of beer in a
supermarket for as little as £1?
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Lord O’Shaughnessy
As I said, the Government are looking at this issue and,
following the Supreme Court judgment, the Scottish
Government can move ahead with their plans. The issue is
not about the lack of evidence on whether reducing drinking
has health benefits, but about making sure that any new
system is implemented in a way that is fair on those who
drink sensibly, particularly those on low incomes. The
approach we have taken up to now is to use the tax system
judiciously, including high duty levels for drinks such as
white cider. As we move ahead and look at the evidence, we
have to consider not just the health benefits but the
economic costs that could be imposed on perfectly sensible
drinkers.
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(Con)
My Lords, liver disease, unlike cancer, is the only major
cause of premature death that has increased since 1970. As
the Minister rightly says, the Scottish Government have
this week introduced minimum unit pricing. Would the
Minister be willing to meet me and the chairman of the
Alcohol Health Alliance to discuss what we in this country
can do to follow the Scottish lead?
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Lord O’Shaughnessy
I would be very happy to meet my noble friend and the
colleague he mentioned.
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(CB)
In terms of austerity, can the Minister justify neglecting
the £3.2 billion cumulative reduction in alcohol-related
harm over five years that the Public Health England
evidence review into the policy cites with an MUP of 60p?
That is what would be generated.
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Lord O’Shaughnessy
As I have said, and reiterate to the noble Baroness, we
will look at the impact of minimum unit pricing. We must
not just take into account any revenue that we generate and
the health benefits that could accrue, but make sure that
it provides a fair deal for those who drink sensibly.
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The Lord Bishop of Southwark
My Lords, the report of the University of Sheffield
referred to earlier said that the top 30% of drinkers
consume 80% of all alcohol consumed, as measured in pure
ethanol; and that, of the beer sold in supermarkets, a
disproportionately high amount is sold on promotion—and
much of that well below 50p per unit. Does the Minister
agree that a floor in the unit price of alcohol would help
to yield a more orderly, content and healthy society by
bearing down on demand?
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Lord O’Shaughnessy
The statistic mentioned by the right reverend Prelate is in
a way even more alarming because 4.4% of the heaviest
drinkers account for a third of all alcohol drunk. A lot of
people are drinking sensibly, within the guidelines. We
need a system capable of targeting those who are sensitive
to both price and health interventions, among those
drinking in a way that is very deleterious to their health.
We are doing that for a range of interventions—public
health and taxation. As I said, we will look at the
progress of minimum unit pricing in Scotland as it takes
place.
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(Lab)
My Lords, has not the Minister just made the case for
minimum unit pricing? Could I remind him to cast his mind
back to all the arguments advanced by his side against
changes to tobacco and smoking—that everybody was going to
be hurt by it if we increased the price? We had to increase
the price for the benefit of everyone, and the same now
applies to alcohol. All the evidence that he is getting
from all his senior medical advisers is that he should
introduce a minimum unit price. Why will he not move on
this?
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I do not recognise the picture of obstruction about tobacco
and smoking. This Government have done a huge amount, and
smoking levels have never been lower. In terms of increased
pricing, history tells us, if you go back hundreds of
years—think about “Beer Street” and “Gin Lane”—that
taxation has a really important role to play in promoting
better drinking habits. That is the approach that we have
taken with changes in duty for drinks that are particularly
problematic, such as white cider. As I have said, we will
look at how minimum unit pricing in Scotland progresses.
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(Con)
Is the Minister aware that Scotland has banned or tried to
reduce BOGOF—buy one get one free—at supermarkets? That is
the evidence that we heard on the ad hoc committee, which I
had the honour to chair, on the scrutiny of the Licensing
Act 2003. Changing behaviour is a good way forward, rather
than the potentially regressive tax of MUP.
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My noble friend speaks with great wisdom about making sure,
not just with alcohol but with other health issues around
food and drink, that we have a look at making those kinds
of promotions not possible.
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(LD)
My Lords, the Minister has acknowledged that the evidence
is absolutely there and that he will look at it in the near
future, but when might a decision be made? How long does he
need the Scotland experiment to last before he actually
makes a decision?
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The evidence is there, and it is strong—but there is disputed
evidence. The coalition Government carried out a consultation
in 2013 and found that the evidence was not entirely
conclusive. However, we will have a live experiment going on
in Scotland, and we expect in two to three years to see
evidence of its impact.
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