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Stephen Gilbert MPCornwall's voice in the Commons |
MINIMUM PRICING FOR ALCOHOL “LONG OVERDUE” SAYS MP
March 26, 2012 12:02 PM
Stephen Gilbert MP has welcomed the news that the Government is proposing a minimum price of 40p per unit of alcohol in England and Wales in an effort to "turn the tide" against binge drinking.
Stephen Gilbert, the Lib Dem MP, for mid Cornwall has long argued for this measure which will hit those who drink irresponsible.
In a debate in Parliament in February, Mr Gilbert called on the Government to introduce this measure, he said:
"This morning, many hon. Members have asked where the evidence is that leads us to consider the need to introduce minimum pricing. In 2008, the University of Sheffield conducted a Government-funded study, which found that setting a minimum price of 50p a unit for alcohol could result in 3,000 fewer deaths a year. In 2009, the chief medical officer in England supported that view. In 2010, the Select Committee on Health and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence also backed a minimum price.
"In fact, as other hon. Members have said, the study by Alcohol Concern suggests that with a 50p minimum price, moderate drinkers would be only £12 worse off a year, whereas the cost to the harmful drinkers-those who cost our economy through lost productivity, revenue lost to the health service, and tragic deaths would be £163 a year."
Speaking after the announcement the Newquay MP said:
"It's clearly wrong when supermarkets can sell beer cheaper than water and use it as a loss-leader to drive footfall. By undercutting traditional pubs they help lead to a culture of pre-loading among many people. This new approach will help ensure that people will be encourage to drink in a more responsible way."