Plans to set minimum alcohol price at 50p per unit in Wales

The minimum price of alcohol in Wales could be set at 50p per minimum unit price by summer 2019.

In August 2018 Wrexham.com reported that a new law introducing a minimum price for alcohol in Wales has been granted Royal Assent by the Queen.

The Act allows Welsh Ministers to introduce a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol supplied in Wales, and makes it an offence for alcohol to be supplied by alcohol retailers below a minimum price made up of that MUP, the strength of the alcohol and its volume, specifically targeting cheap, strong alcohol.

It is estimated nearly 55,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions a year, cost the Welsh NHS over £150m annually. In 2016, there were 504 alcohol-related deaths in Wales.

Recent analysis by the University of Sheffield estimated that a 50p minimum unit price in Wales will:

– Capture nearly half of off-trade alcohol sold and just under half of alcohol purchased by harmful drinkers, whilst only capturing just over a fifth of alcohol purchased by moderate drinkers
– Lead to 66 (8.5%) fewer alcohol-attributable deaths per year
– Lead to 1,281 (3.6%) fewer alcohol-attributable hospital admissions per year.

Now a public consultation has been launched outlining the Welsh Government’s plans to set the minimum unit price for alcohol in Wales at 50p.

Speaking about the proposals Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething said: “The ultimate objective of introducing a minimum unit price is to tackle alcohol-related harm, including alcohol-attributable hospital admissions and alcohol-related deaths in Wales, by reducing alcohol consumption in hazardous and harmful drinkers.

“In particular, the Act is targeted at protecting the health of hazardous and harmful drinkers – including young people – who tend to consume greater quantities of low-cost and high-alcohol content products.

“The higher the level of MUP that is chosen, the greater the proportion of purchased alcohol that is captured and the greater the estimated impact on alcohol-related harms.

“However, there is a trade-off, as there is also a greater impact on moderate drinkers, particularly moderate drinkers in the more deprived groups.

“After careful consideration and on balance, my preference is that the initial level of the MUP should be set at 50p. But we will now gather views from individuals, businesses, public bodies and interested parties about the Welsh Government’s preferred price of 50p.”

You can take part in the Welsh Government’s consultation here.