Scottish Government officials have discussed with the European Commission the Government's intended measures as regards minimum pricing, but no legal advice has been sought or was given.

Since 2007 we have consulted on and published a bold package of measures to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland through Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework for Action. We have placed a whole population approach at the heart of our Alcohol Framework which includes a package of over 40 measures to reduce alcohol related harm by helping to prevent problems arising in the first place, and includes improving support and treatment for those who are already experiencing problems.

We have made a record investment in tackling alcohol misuse of over £155 million since 2008 the bulk of this funding – £134 million – has gone directly to NHS boards for use in line with local priorities identified by Alcohol and Drug Partnerships.

Given the link between consumption and harm, and evidence that affordability is one of the drivers of increased consumption, addressing price is an important element of any long-term strategy to tackle alcohol misuse. We continue to believe that a minimum price per unit of alcohol would be the most effective, efficient, targeted and proportionate way to make a real impact on consumption and harm across Scotland. That is why we introduced an Alcohol Minimum Pricing Bill on 31 October.

A minimum price would only apply at the point of sale and would have no bearing on exported Scotch Whisky. The Scottish Government’s minimum pricing proposal treats all products fairly, and makes no distinction between imported or domestic products.

Scottish Government officials have held discussions regarding minimum pricing of alcohol with representatives from the Office of Fair Trading.

It is not the role of the European Commission to provide legal advice to Scottish Government. For that reason, no legal advice has been sought from them and none has been provided.

Scottish Government officials have held discussions regarding minimum pricing of alcohol with various relevant contacts within the European Commission and they are being kept informed of developments.

It is not the role of the Office of Fair Trading to provide legal advice to Scottish Government. As for that reason no legal advice has been sought from them and none has been provided.

The Scottish Government allocates earmarked funding to NHS boards to tackle problematic drug and alcohol use. This funding is made via NHS boards to deliver prevention activity and recovery focussed treatment and support services on the basis of local need in line with local Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) priorities.

Earmarked Funding for Drugs

Earmarked Funding for Alcohol

The Scottish Government does not hold information on what proportion of this funding is spent on specialist addiction services.

The Scottish Government is currently looking to refresh the National Quality Standards for Substance Misuse Services which date back to 2006. This is to allow the standards to fully and robustly evidence the performance of recovery-focused local addiction services in line with the Scottish Government’s Road to Recovery strategy and the Scottish Ministerial Advisory Committee on Alcohol Problems (SMACAP) Quality Alcohol Treatment and Support (QATS) report.

People affected by problematic alcohol and drug use may access a range of services and receive various types of treatment over the course of their recovery journey. Furthermore, different services and treatment types may be appropriate for different clients, depending on their individual experiences and the goals they identify in consultation with their service provider (which will be reviewed over time). It is therefore not possible to say that a single service is the most effective.

For this reason Scottish Government encourages Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs) to commission a variety of services to deliver a range of evidence-based interventions to meet the individual needs of local people affected by problematic alcohol and drug use. We also encourage outcomes based monitoring and reporting to support continuous improvement of services.