Alcohol Health Alliance UK response to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s consultation on the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill

About the Alcohol Health Alliance UK

The Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA) is a group of over 50 organisations including the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of GPs, British Medical Association, Alcohol Concern and the Institute of Alcohol Studies. The AHA works together to:

- Highlight the rising levels of alcohol-related health harm

- Propose evidence-based solutions to reduce this harm

- Influence decision makers to take positive action to address the damage caused by alcohol misuse

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1. Introduction

1.1 The AHA welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation. Our comments in relation to the general principles of the Bill, barriers to implementation and any unintended consequences of the Bill are below.

2. The general principles of the Bill and the extent to which it will contribute to improving and protecting the health and well-being of the population of Wales.

2.1 The Alcohol Health Alliance welcomes and supports this legislation. We have long supported minimum unit pricing for alcohol.

2.2 Minimum unit pricing (MUP) is one of the most effective and cost-effective measures to reduce alcohol-related harm, and it will improve and protect the health and well-being of the population of Wales significantly.

2.3 Introducing this measure at this time is especially important, given the recent announcement from the Welsh government that alcohol deaths in Wales increased by 9% in 2016 compared with 2015.[1]

2.4 Committee members will be aware of the work Sheffield University has done on behalf of the Welsh government to estimate the impact of minimum unit pricing in Wales on population health. This work is referenced in the Explanatory Memorandum for the bill. To summarise some of the Sheffield team’s key findings, once the full effects of the policy are in place, MUP in Wales is estimated to lead to:

- 53 fewer deaths a year

- 1,400 fewer hospital admissions a year

- £131 million a year saved in healthcare costs

- £882 million in savings to society overall each year

2.5 At the same time, reductions in drinking will predominantly occur amongst high-risk drinkers, with moderate drinkers barely noticing the difference. According to Sheffield University’s analysis, under a 50p MUP moderate drinkers will spend just £2.37 a year more on alcohol, and consume just 6.4 fewer units a year.[2]

3. Any potential barriers to the implementation of the provisions and whether the Bill takes account of them

3.1 We would draw attention to the fact that there will be costs associated with the enforcement of the Act by local authorities, at a time when local authorities are under tight financial pressures.

3.2 The Welsh government will need to ensure that local authorities have sufficient funds and support in order to carry out their enforcement work.

4. Whether there are any unintended consequences arising from the Bill

4.1 One consequence of MUP, though not necessarily an unintended one, is that more people may seek help from substance misuse services. An increase in demand could place existing services under further pressure, and it is crucial that this is considered. Treatment services should be funded adequately to meet this demand.

4.2 A number of negative consequences of the Bill have been suggested, and we summarise these below, and give our response to each.

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4.3 A common criticism of MUP is that it is a ‘tax on the poor’, and that it will place financial pressure on lower income groups who, like most people, enjoy having a drink, and who are already struggling financially.

4.4 In response to this, we would point that all moderate drinkers, including those in poverty, are estimated to barely change their spending in response to MUP. Sheffield University’s modelling estimates that moderate drinkers who are not in poverty will spend an average of £2.44 more per year under a 50p MUP.[3]

4.5 In contrast, moderate drinkers who are in poverty will see a smaller rise in their spending, at an average of £2.15 per year under a 50p.[4]

4.6 It is true that, according to Sheffield’s analysis, high-risk drinkers (making up 5.7% of the Wales population) are estimated to spend an average of £32 more per year under a 50p MUP[5], and this increase