Welsh Government looking to raise minimum alcohol price in Wales despite mixed results
Welsh Government is considering raising the minimum alcohol price in Wales despite mixed reports on the effectiveness of the policy. Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol in Wales came into force in March 2020.
It was set at a rate of 50p per unit - a price point that impacted lower cost alcohol options like cheap high strength cider. Action was the taken in a bid to reduce problem alcohol consumption.
Every year an estimated 699 people die as a direct consequence of their alcohol consumption in Wales. There are also an estimated 11,243 hospital admissions attributable to alcohol annually. These harms are heavily concentrated in the heaviest drinkers, with the 4.3% of drinkers drinking at harmful levels accounting for 30% of alcohol-attributable admissions, and 48% of alcohol-attributable deaths.
But in Wales there has so far been limited evidence of significant changes in purchasing and consumption behaviour for the majority of the population. There is some indicative evidence that overall Welsh consumption was reduced, particularly from a retailers study. Evidence from a similar policy in Scotland has shown reduced consumption. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
When it came to problem drinkers the most marked change observed with some was a switch away from the previously cheap cider towards spirits, wine, and strong lagers, rather than any reduction in consumption. Others had cut back in other areas, like food and household bills.
Statistics for key alcohol harm measures, notably those of alcohol related deaths and hospital admissions have (as yet) to show any decline in recent trends of increasing numbers of harms. This has though come during a challenging period - with the Covid pandemic and cost of living crisis.
Despite so far seeing inconclusive results since minimum pricing came in the Welsh Government says an increase in the lowest unit price to 65p could reduce the number of harmful drinkers by nearly 5,000 people.
Welsh Government said: "Modelling data suggests raising the MUP to 65p per unit could further reduce harmful alcohol consumption, as well as encourage more people to drink at moderate levels instead. It could also lower the number of hazardous drinkers by more than 6,300 and harmful drinkers by nearly 5,000, reducing hospital admissions and deaths attributed to alcohol.
"Drinking large quantities of high-strength alcoholic drinks puts people at long-term risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, liver disease and brain damage. Minimum pricing for alcohol is not designed to work in isolation and, combined with a wide range of health policies in the substance misuse sector, is targeted towards prevention, support and recovery and tackling availability."
Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Sarah Murphy said: 'Since we brought minimum unit pricing into place there has been a pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis and high inflation.
'Despite all of these, research through independent evaluations has shown the policy, which is not a tax, has had a positive impact and has helped reduce levels of harmful drinking. We're consulting on raising the level as high inflation has made the 50p rate ineffective and reduced its value in real terms to 39p in 2020 prices.
'Due to this it is no longer significantly influencing the price of the cheapest alcohol and we need to review it."
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'I was lucky that we didn't lose John, and our children were lucky that they didn't lose their dad, but they have lost him in a huge way, in every way possible. He is still here, but he's not the man he was. 'It worries me going forward, because John has lots of issues and we don't know how they are going to progress. 'Money can't buy happiness. It can make things stable, which is great, but it's not going to change what happened. It's not like having a broken arm that you can fix and go back to enjoying life, doing your job and taking the kids to the park. 'It's never going to happen for us. 'John has been robbed of his life, and he can try and make another life for himself, but it's always going to be limited because of what happened.' Vicky is keen to stress that she and her family are not against vaccinations, but feels saddened their lives were upended simply because they tried to 'do what was right'. 'We just wanted to do right by our family, our friends, the country. We just wanted to do our part in getting back to normal. 'But life is far from normal for us - and we just don't know what the future holds.' In a statement to MailOnline, Leigh Day partner Sarah Moore said: 'As a result of his injuries, John will never be able to work again, or be the husband and father that he once was for Vicky and their children. 'Presently the Government scheme provides them with a one-off payment of £120,000. That is less than John's annual earnings prior to his injuries and is wholly inadequate to provide him with the specialist care that he needs to live with his injuries let alone provide for his family. 'John stepped forward for vaccination at the Government's request, along with thousands of others, and yet when he needs the Government to stand with him and his family by providing meaningful financial support they are nowhere to be seen. 'John and others like him do not want to have to bring a legal claim, they want to put their energies into putting their lives back together. 'The fact that they are having to do so should be a cause of national shame, the pandemic was a period of national solidarity and yet, in the aftermath when the country has moved on, those injured like John have been forgotten.' Official data shows at least 81 Brits have died from blood clot complications apparently linked to the AstraZeneca jab, according to figures collected by the UK's drug watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. A further unconfirmed number have been injured and/or disabled. Further Covid vaccine rollouts have either minimised use of the AstraZeneca jab and/or phased it out entirely in favour of mRNA alternatives like those made by rival pharma giants Pfizer and Moderna. However, AstraZeneca's jab is credited with saving some 6million lives globally during the Covid pandemic. AstraZeneca previously said in a statement: 'Our sympathy goes out to anyone who has lost loved ones or reported health problems. 'Patient safety is our highest priority, and regulatory authorities have clear and stringent standards to ensure the safe use of all medicines, including vaccines. 'From the body of evidence in clinical trials and real-world data, the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine has continuously been shown to have an acceptable safety profile and regulators around the world consistently state that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of extremely rare potential side effects.'
