News and Press

Alcohol Scotland Bill passes first stage

15 Jun 2010

Following a debate in the Scottish Parliament yesterday on 11th June, a majority of MSPs voted in favour of the general principles of the Alcohol (Scotland) Bill. This means that the Bill will now proceed to the next stage of legislative scrutiny.

All MSPs agreed on the need to tackle alcohol-related harm in Scotland and all acknowledged the link between alcohol price and consumption. There was broad support for a ban on price promotions and the principle of a social responsibility levy on alcohol retailers. However, opposition MSPs continued to oppose the introduction of minimum pricing. (Full details of the debate can be found on the Scottish Parliament website)

A Conservative amendment calling on the Government to remove minimum pricing from the Bill was passed by a majority of MSPs, however it doesn’t have any legal effect at this point. The Bill will move to Stage 2 where the legislation will be examined line-by-line and amendments considered.