Minimum pricing: When the Scottish Government's alcohol policy will come into place

SCOTLAND’S minimum unit price for alcohol will be in place at the start of May next year, Scotland’s Health Secretary has announced.

Shona Robison revealed the proposed 2018 implementation date for the controversial policy which was last week given the green light by Supreme Court justices.

While MSPs in the Scottish Parliament had voted through legislation for a 50p per unit minimum price for alcohol in 2012, a legal challenge by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), who argued the policy breached European laws, delayed it being brought in.

The case went to the highest court in Scotland and the European Court of Justice before ending up at the UK Supreme Court.

The SWA said on Wednesday they accepted the decision, and Ms Robison confirmed to MSPs that the organisation will pay the Scottish Government’s legal costs.

What is minimum pricing for alcohol? All you need to know about the legislation

Scotland will be the first country in the world to introduce a minimum unit pricing for alcohol, with Ms Robison saying this could be in place in less than six months’ time.

She said: “We want to introduce minimum unit pricing as quickly as possible.

“There were 1,265 alcohol-related deaths last year, up 10% on 2015, while just today we see statistics showing a 2% annual increase in alcohol-related hospital stays. These numbers are completely unacceptable. Behind every one of these statistics is a person, a family and a community.

“With alcohol on sale today at just 18 pence a unit, we have to act to tackle the scourge of cheap, high-strength drink that causes so much damage.

“Research shows a minimum unit price of 50 pence would cut alcohol-related deaths by 392 and hospital admissions by 8,254 over the first five years of the policy.

“I anticipate setting the minimum unit price at 50 pence per unit. We now want to hear from retailers, representative bodies and Licensing Standards Officers about the practicalities of implementation.”