Question reference: S6W-12873
- Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 5 December 2022
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Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 December 2022
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of reports that the heaviest 5% of drinkers are consuming 10% more since the introduction of minimum unit pricing.
Answer
The pandemic has changed drinking behaviour, particularly for those who were drinking heavily before the pandemic. There is more work to be done to better understand the continuing impact of the pandemic on alcohol harms.
We are working on a range of actions to make alcohol treatment services more accessible to those who need them to support individuals reduce their alcohol consumption.
Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) was introduced to reduce the consumption of alcohol by individuals whose consumption is hazardous or harmful as well as reducing the overall population level of consumption. We are evaluating MUP over the first five years of operation and will report to parliament in summer 2023.