Tag Archive for alcohol

Local Councillor Welcomes ‘Pause To Think’ Campaign

June 14, 2012 Council Group, West End No comments

Councillor McDonald

West End Councillor, Vari McDonald, has welcomed an initiative aimed at reducing the amount of alcohol accessed by under 18 year olds.  The ‘Pause to Think’ campaign is co-ordinated by Dundee Focus on Alcohol, and will run for three months over the summer.

Commenting on ‘Pause to Think’, Ms McDonald stated:

“This campaign is an excellent initiative which aims at reducing the amount of alcohol accessed by under 18 year olds. ‘Pause to Think’ focuses on the promotion of responsible sales practises by off sales shops, and targets adults who buy alcohol for young people.


“What many adults don’t realise is that they could face fines of up to £5,000 if they are caught buying alcohol for anyone under the age of 18.

 

“I know that under-age drinking is an issue for our local communities in Dundee, and I hope that the campaign will make a difference to tackling this problem.  I would also urge local off sales staff to get behind ‘Pause to Think’, by displaying their posters and making sure they know how to spot an adult who might be getting alcohol for young people.”

 

‘Pause to Think’ is launched on 14th June by Dundee Focus on Alcohol, with the support of Tayside Police and Dundee Community Safety Partnership.

Cabinet Secretary and Cardinal Visit Dundee facility

November 15, 2010 Uncategorized No comments

The Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny Macaskill, and Cardinal Keith O’Brien, leader of Scotland’s Catholic community, today jointly visited the Jericho facility in Artillery Lane, Dundee, to learn about its success in helping men recover from alcohol addiction.

The Jericho opened in Dundee in 1996 to provide supported accomodation and a structured 12-step programme of recovery for its users.  The total cost of alcohol misuse to Scotland is estimated at £3.56billion every year – which equates to £900 for every adult living in Scotland. Scots drink almost a quarter more that their counterparts in England and Wales, fuelling much-higher levels of alcohol-related harm.

The Cabinet Secretary said: “Centres like Jericho Dundee give alcoholics the support need to face up to their problems and they play a vital role in helping to turn people’s lives around.”

Nursing Union Support for Minimum Pricing Welcomed

January 28, 2010 Uncategorized No comments

The SNP Candidate for Dundee West in the forthcoming General Election, Councillor Jim Barrie, Social Work & Health Convenor at Dundee Council, has welcomed the support of  The Royal College of Nursing for minimum pricing for alcohol as the consensus in favour of the measure in the Scottish Government’s Alcohol Bill grows day by day.

RCN Scotland, which has 38,000 members in Scotland is lobbying in support of the Scottish Government’s proposed radical legislation on alcohol which would change the way in which alcohol is sold and introduce minimum pricing controls.

Jim Barrie said: “The RCN in Scotland has over 38,000 members and are major influencers on the health debate in Scotland and I am delighted that they have joined the overwhelming consensus building in support of the Scottish Government’s policy.

“The entire medical profession, the police, the licensed trade – even the all-party Health Select Committee at Westminster are in favour of the measure, yet Labour, the Lib Dems and Tories in Scotland continue to block it.

“Recently, a Dundee-based Labour MSP while agreeing that the problems of alcohol abuse were extremely serious, in fact, ‘bigger than the original official figures indicate’ demanded action to tackle the problem, then suggested education was the solution.

“The problem is acute precisely because education alone has failed over several decades to change behaviour. Frankly, it is for Labour, Lib Dem and Tory politicians to explain why they are at odds with expert medical opinion and the overwhelming majority of those professional bodies who advocate minimum pricing as a bold measure that will help to tackle the massive impact of alcohol abuse.”

MSP’s Concern on Alcohol Commercials in Cinemas

January 14, 2010 Joe FitzPatrick MSP No comments

Dundee West MSP Joe FitzPatrick is taking action on behalf of constituents who took their young family to a cinema during Christmas and were appalled at the quantity and content of the alcohol commercials shown during their visit.

Joe said: “The Scottish Government made a commitment in its Alcohol Bill published last year to reduce the impact of alcohol advertising and is taking a wide range of actions to tackle alcohol misuse and promote a culture of sensible and responsible drinking, but it won’t be able to curb alcohol advertising in cinemas until the UK Government legislates.

“The Scottish Government does not have powers to regulate broadcast advertising so the Scottish Public Health Minister cannot do any more than urge the UK Government to develop a UK approach to cinema advertising which protects children.

“Recent studies by the University of Sheffield and by the European Alcohol and Health Forum indicate consistent evidence of advertising having an effect on young people’s drinking.

“In their reply to me, the Cinema Advertising Association admitted that ‘in 2008, 13% of the audience who saw alcohol commercials in the cinema were under 18. They also admit the proportion of alcohol commercials rises around the Christmas period but claim it never exceeds 40 % of the adverts shown. But this does not include advertisements for a cinema’s own products, nor does it include trailers for forthcoming films – where there could be more alcohol products shown.

“So there are grounds for concern. Firstly, the code about alcohol adverts is dependent on a panel, made up of advertisers and it relies on individual cinemas’ ‘self-imposed rule’ of how many adverts shown will be for alcohol.

“Both the Scottish and UK Governments are trying to tackle our legacy of serious alcohol misuse, and frankly, alcohol advertising in cinemas is an area that seems to me ripe for review and possible new legislation to better influence the drinking habits of the next generation. I will be taking the issue further.”

New Figures Reveal 68% of Emergency Cases Alcohol-Related

October 5, 2009 Joe FitzPatrick MSP, Shona Robison MSP No comments

Dundee MSPs Shona Robison and Joe FitzPatrick said today it was ‘no surprise’ that 68% of calls to the emergency services between Friday night and Sunday morning are alcohol related. The Dundee duo recently spent a Friday night – Saturday morning night shift with emergency services’ staff, including a stint with a paramedic crew and saw the problems for themselves.

The figures were released on the first day of Alcohol Awareness week.

Shona Robison said: “Being on the night-shift exercise with frontline staff gave us first-hand experience of the impact of alcohol. And it came against a backdrop of information released by the Scottish Government which revealed the astonishing and disturbing alcohol-related death rate. Tayside deaths in which alcohol was a major factor is nearly twice the UK average, at 197% of the UK figure.

“Then the Scottish Government released the figure of £2.25 billion per year – which is the cost to Scottish society of alcohol misuse, although of course the costs are far higher to individuals and to families whose lives can be ruined.
“Drink related accidents, in which people end up so drunk they need hospitalisation are regrettably by far the largest number of incidents which A&E staff are required to deal with at weekends. Alcohol-induced violence cause many of the cases which police will be dealing with on a Friday or Saturday night.
“Our emergency services should be available to help people who need them, not having to spend all their time mopping up damage caused by people who willfully abuse alcohol then get involved in incidents.
Joe FitzPatrick said: “The Scottish Government is proposing radical action to tackle Scotland’s problems with alcohol, but it is also for each and every one of us to think about what we’re drinking and the effect that has on ourselves and public services.
“Alcohol misuse costs Scottish society £2.25 billion a year. Recent reports estimating that 30% of ambulance journeys are alcohol related put the cost to the ambulance service at £30 million – today’s figures show it could be much more than that. On our night-shift, we heard that the majority of call-outs are alcohol-related, so I am not surprised that is is as high as 68% of calls.
“At the start of alcohol awareness week I would urge everyone to look at their relationship with alcohol, how much they drink, and the impact it is having on their lives and on their communities.”

EU NO BARRIER TO MINIMUM PRICING

September 8, 2009 Ian Hudghton MEP No comments

ALCOHOL POLICY IS WITHIN EU RULES

The European Commission has made clear that the proposed Scottish Government scheme to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol would fit within European rules on trade and competition.

The Commission’s statement in answer to a Parliamentary Question from a Labour MEP removes drinks industry and opposition arguments over the legality of the proposal.

In the answer the Commission states:

“The Commission recognizes the right of Member States to pursue public health objectives and welcomes, in principle all initiatives which aim at reducing harms to public health, in particular alcohol related harm. Community secondary legislation, including Council Directive 92/83/EEC, does not prohibit Member States from setting minimum retail prices for alcoholic beverages. However, any such national measure and its effects still need to be compatible with other provisions of Community law, including the EC Treaty’s rules on the free movement of goods (Articles 28-30 EC).”

Referring to a Court ruling that price controls could impact on competition and imported products the Commission’s answer states:

“On the other hand this would not be the case if pricing rules applied to all relevant traders operating within the national territory and if they affected in the same manner, in law and in fact, the marketing of domestic and imported products.”

Commenting on the statement SNP MEP Ian Hudghton, a substitute member of the Parliament’s Internal Market committee said :

“The SNP and the Scottish Government have always been clear that minimum pricing on alcohol is both legal and necessary. This answer makes clear that the proposal for minimum pricing on alcohol is well within EU law and kills off opposition and industry suggestions to the contrary.

“The Commission have made it perfectly plain that the plan set out by the Scottish Government would be within trade rules, and that the European Court has already ruled that this kind of action is permissible. Instead of using European rules as an excuse to oppose what is a much needed change to Scotland’s relationship with alcohol it is time for opposition parties and the industry itself to accept the evidence and to support the policy.

“It is disturbing that attempts to attack the policy on legal grounds have come from those interested in the premium end of the drinks market which will be relatively unaffected. All the evidence indicates that increasing the price of problem drinks such as cheap beers and ciders will improve health and cut irresponsible alcohol consumption – as well as helping to reduce the £2.5 billion cost to Scotland’s public services of alcohol related problems.

“Minimum pricing has the support of all of the UK’s Chief Medical Officers and the WHO amongst others. As the SNP Scottish Government brings in the legislation for minimum pricing it is time the opposition and the industry joined them.”

 

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