UK News

Raising the price of alcohol

Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson has recommended that the government should sharply raise the price of alcohol  to try to combat Britain’s chronic drinking problem.

His annual report calls for a minimum price of 50 pence per unit of alcohol sold, which would nearly double the price of some discount beer and wine. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also shown interest in minimum pricing.

But the government is under no obligation to accept any such recommendation and is aware of the unpopularity of raising alcohol prices in a recession and not so far away from a general election.

Gordon Brown rejected the proposal outright.

The Conservatives say it is important to deal with people’s attitudes to drinking, not just supply and price, while the Liberal Democrats support putting an end to “pocket-money priced” alcohol.

Can parents stop kids boozing?

The government has recommended that parents should not allow children to drink alcohol until they reach the age of 15, in the latest attempt to stop the growing tide of juvenile drinking.

It says its research has found clear parental guidelines make a difference.

“Evidence … shows that things that families do … to point out the negative and health effects of alcohol lead to children drinking much later nearer to adulthood and drinking moderately in adult life,” says Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson.