News
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- AFS publish Review of Licensing Board Annual Functions Reports 2017-2018
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- Drinks companies keeping consumers in dark about risky drinking
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- Alcohol causes 3,700 deaths in Scotland every year
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- Minimum pricing blog
- Minimum pricing gets green light
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- We need to make it easier for people to drink less
- Worrying rise in alcohol-related deaths
- Minimum pricing will save lives
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- Scotland's alcohol problem laid bare
- Cheap alcohol is costing Scotland dear
- One drink a day can increase breast cancer risk
- Poverty linked to increased harm from alcohol
- What next for reducing alcohol harm in Scotland?
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- Concern as funding for alcohol services cut
- Budget: No change in alcohol duty
- Scottish Government urged to curb alcohol marketing
- Consumers have the right to know health risks
- Chancellor urged to tackle cheap, strong cider in Budget
- Online help for families affected by alcohol
- Alcohol-free childhood is healthiest option
- SWA granted leave to appeal minimum pricing
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- Scottish Government receives European alcohol award
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- Half of alcohol being sold under 50p per unit
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- AFS welcomes revised alcohol consumption guidelines
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- New toolkit to help children affected by family alcohol problems
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- 82% of Scots agree drink driving is unacceptable
- Scotland's alcohol strategy - what next?
- Scotland leads way in evidence-based alcohol policy
- New report reveals impact of alcohol on emergency services
- Alcohol: a global concern
Scotland leads way in evidence-based alcohol policy
The UK Government's alcohol policies are weaker than those implemented by the devolved nations, a landmark report from the Universities of Stirling and Sheffield has found.
Policies from the UK Government and devolved administrations were reviewed against recommendations from Health First, the independent expert-devised UK alcohol strategy, in the first such audit of its kind. Overall strategy, pricing, marketing and availability of alcohol were among the areas examined.
Scotland had the strongest approach overall, seeking to implement the most evidence-based policies, working to clear outcomes, and with a taskforce in place to monitor and evaluate the Scottish Government's alcohol strategy.
By contrast, the UK Government did not support the most effective policies, made inconsistent use of evidence and was the most engaged with the alcohol industry.
While Wales and Northern Ireland took strong positions in areas such as taxation and restrictions on young drivers, they have fewer legislative powers than the Scottish Parliament.
Read the report: Four Nations: How Evidence-based are Alcohol Policies and Programmes Across the UK?
Dr Niamh Fitzgerald from the University of Stirling who co-authored the report, said:
"Alcohol policy at UK Government level is in disarray, with it choosing to reduce taxation despite evidence that consumption and alcohol-related harms will increase as a result, putting even greater pressure on NHS and emergency services.
"In contrast to the UK Government, the devolved administrations - especially Scotland - are taking steps to address the widespread harms due to alcohol, recognising that they are a 'whole population' issue. All four nations, however, engage in partnership with the alcohol industry, despite clear conflicts of interest and its history of failure to support policies most likely to work."