A new law that would ban the sale of cheap alcohol has cleared its first hurdle in the National Assembly for Wales.
The Welsh Government wants to introduce a minimum price for alcohol arguing it would have a positive impact on people’s health – especially problem drinkers.
On Tuesday, March 13, the Bill passed its first stage and will now move on to stage two, which involves detailed consideration by Assembly committees.
If passed by the Assembly later this year, the current intention is that a minimum unit price would be introduced 12 months following the Bill’s Royal Assent.
Labour’s Islwyn AM Rhianon Passmore has backed the proposed new law.
She said: “Cheap, strong and readily available alcohol is a problem in our community just like communities across Wales, the UK and much of the western world.”
“There are no easy answers but minimum unit pricing is a new and important tool in our approach to reducing alcohol consumption.
“We know there is a significant amount of evidence from around the world, showing there is a very clear relationship between the price of alcohol and alcohol consumption. Our ground-breaking legislation helps address that.
“Minimum pricing has to work side-by-side with the Welsh Government’s substance misuse strategy which is about helping people in places like Islwyn to develop a healthier relationship with alcohol.”
Both Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Conservatives are in support of the new law, however UKIP AMs are opposed claiming the Bill would be unfair on the families of less well-off drinkers.
Yet more nanny state legislation to punish the majority in an attempt to control the behaviour of the minority.
Surely introducing a minimum price for alcohol would have two affects – one would be to increase the profit margins of supermarkets as they would not be allowed to heavily discount alcohol sales like they do currently, and secondly it would put even more pubs out of business as they would have to increase their prices.
I too have my doubts about this. well intentioned, proposed legislation. It is legal and very easy to ferment your own strong wine, beer or lager. The poorer problem drinker is going to do just this, make their own. The better off problem drinker is just going to carry on as before and pay the extra price.
I don’t know the details of what is proposed but suspect that most pubs charge more than the minimum unit price anyway. I suspect this proposal is another poorly thought out bit of interference in people’s lives by an out of touch group who live in a bubble consisting of dinner parties and drinks after attending the opera.
Presumably this charge only applies to consumers rather than suppliers and therefore the price at the bar wouldn’t change. Maybe the increased cost of cheap, strong cider and lager in the supermarkets would lead people back to the welcoming arms of empty pubs?
Yes, it could help pubs, we would have to see how it panned out. I think though that the type who ‘tanks up’ before even going out would still do so.
That would be my preferred outcome. Ban supermarkets from selling alcohol and have only one off licence of limited size in a town and the pubs will fill back up again. This is preferable as a landlord can tell you when you’ve had to much.
On the downside it’s more rules and regulations from an already and increasingly authoritarian state.
What’s the answer? I don’t know.
I’m with you on this Pete. On a personal viewpoint I am a pub drinker and a good pub will control, to a certain extent, any over consumption of alcohol. On the other side of the coin a lot of workers like a drink, do not cause problems but buy their alcohol at the supermarket. No easy answer, as you say.
Perhaps if there was once again proper policing where drunks were incarcerated for a few hours and appeared in court a day or two later this wouls solve the problem? For those young people who have never experienced the law regarding alcohol it was routine for police to lock drunks up and charge, or not charge, according to their judgement. The lock up was son Park Lane and if a court appearance was deemed necessary the magistrates would deal with you on Mountain Road Court.
I know this from personal experience.
With luck, it will stop some of the violence that goes with alcohol abuse.