Alcohol Bill: Scottish Conservatives table amendments to tackle abuse without penalising responsible drinkers and licence holders

Scottish Conservatives are tabling amendments to tomorrow's Stage 3 debate of the Alcohol etc (Scotland) Bill. These are practical ideas that will tackle abuse and harmful consumption without penalising responsible drinkers and licence holders.

 
Murdo Fraser MSP, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing, said:

"With the SNP's indiscriminate blanket minimum pricing dead in the water, the challenge is for all parties to come together and find real, practical solutions to tackle Scotland's drink problem. There is no 'silver bullet' to cure Scotland's over-consumption of alcohol and the most pressing need is a change of culture.

"There is an argument for a targeted social responsibility levy but proper economic impact assessments need to be carried out beforehand to see if it has any chance of succeeding. Many responsible businesses comply with the law in selling alcohol and they should not be punished - we would rather the irresponsible licence holders were made to pay and are introducing amendments to that effect.

"We also want to see a sunset clause on these plans so we are not stuck with them if they prove ineffective. The same would apply to the restrictions on promotions. Let us see if these work in reducing irresponsible alcohol consumption and then decide whether to keep them. If the principle of a sunset clause is good enough for the SNP's minimum pricing plans then it is good enough for these other provisions.

"We all want to see a Scotland where alcohol is a product which can be enjoyed harmlessly if taken in moderation. The focus should be on tackling abuse and harmful consumption and I believe Scottish Conservative proposals strike that balance."

- Amendments 24, 25, 44 and 45 in the name of Murdo Fraser would introduce a sunset clause on the parts of the Bill concerned with promotions and the social responsibility levy.

- Amendments 29, 30, 31, 32 and 38 in the name of Murdo Fraser would restrict the scope of the social responsibility levy to licence holders convicted of a relevant or foreign offence. If the social responsibility levy were to be introduced, many trade organisations and others would favour a fault-based approach, which does not seek to punish the majority of responsible businesses who comply effectively with the law.

- Amendment 33 in the name of Murdo Fraser makes it clear that any future regulations for the social responsibility levy would provide discounts for licence-holders demonstrating that they meet or exceed agreed best practice as set out in the regulations or in accompanying provisions.

- Amendment 42 in the name of Mary Scanlon ensures that Ministers undertake an economic impact assessment and publish the results before introducing a social responsibility levy.

- We will be voting against Amendment 1 in the name of Nicola Sturgeon to re-introduce indiscriminate blanket minimum pricing to the Bill.

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