Alcohol restrictions not backed by Health and Sport committee

Labour MSP Richard Simpson’s proposals to restrict alcohol advertising and stop repeat offenders from buying alcohol has failed to get a backing from the majority of Holyrood’s Health and Sport Committee, according to its latest report.

Dr Simpson gained cross-party support from 42 MSPs for the plans, but it is thought SNP members in the committee, who form the majority, opposed the member’s bill.

“The majority of the Committee believe that the Scottish Government’s forthcoming updated alcohol strategy offers a more effective route to consider changes to alcohol policy,” the report says, adding: “a minority of the members believe that the general principles of the Bill should be supported.”

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Committee convener Labour’s Duncan McNeil MSP said: “There is no doubt that Scotland has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol and we should not be complacent about how we tackle the detrimental impact this has on people’s health and our wider society.

“This bill contains a wide range of measures – from restrictions on advertising alcohol to introducing drink banning orders. Having looked at all these in detail it was clear there were a wide variety of views expressed about the effectiveness of these proposals, which is reflected in the Committee’s report. 

“As a Committee, the majority of our members, whilst supporting the aims of legislation, couldn’t support the detail of the proposals.”

The report’s publication follows the Scottish Government’s decision not to back Simpson’s Alcohol (Licensing, Public Health and Criminal Justice) (Scotland) Bill in November.

At the time Public Health Minister Maureen Watt told the committee the Scottish Government would not be supporting its progression to Stage 2.

“We welcome and support the bill’s overarching aim of tackling alcohol misuse, but there are difficulties that relate to the individual measures,” she said.