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Scotland: Shops and pub could be forced to limit alcohol sales under proposals to reduce harmful drinking By Gerry Braiden June 13, 2016 SUPERMARKETS and pubs would be forced to restrict how much alcohol they sell under proposals to introduce a national target for reducing Scotland’s harmful levels of drinking. Ahead of the preparation of a new blueprint on tackling the country’s relationship with drink, ministers have signalled a readiness to consider a Scotland-wide target as part of a global campaign to reduce alcohol. Both the country’s main alcohol charity and leading medical experts have been promoting and supporting the idea in recent weeks, believing it can become the key focus for the new national liquor strategy. The plan would require businesses, from global supermarket chains to corner shops and restaurants, to declare the volume of alcohol they sold, with such data crucial in quantifying how much was being bought, where and from whom. At a conference of influential liquor law practioners in recent days Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said providing data on much drink can be sold could form part of the conditions of a licence when they are granted by local authorities. Such information could then be used by licensing boards to strengthen powers they have in, for example, limiting alcohol sales floor space, conditions of and hours and days of sale, and the number of outlets permitted to sell alcohol. It would also reinforce calls for limits to be set on how much alcohol a premises is permitted to sell. But one leading expert has described the idea as “junk science”, adding that using alcohol sales figures and projections was not a gauge for how people consumed it. It also comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) set a target of reducing global alcohol consumption by 10 per cent by 2025. Asked the Government’s view on a national target and the new alcohol strategy, health minister Shona Robison said: “We remain determined that Scotland plays its part in helping the WHO achieve a global reduction of 10% in alcohol harm. The refresh of the Strategy is likely to consider how Scotland plays it’s part in targeting and reducing harmful levels of consumption in Scotland.” Ms Douglas, who was also the Scottish Government’s head of alcohol policy for five years, told the Scottish Licensing Law and Practice conference, current requirements for areas to have ‘over-provision policies’, effectively caps on the number of licensed premises in certain neighbourhoods, were ineffective as the number of venues selling liquor had risen in each of the four years. |