THE MINIMUM price for alcohol should be raised to reduce the number of alcohol-related deaths in Scotland, an MP has claimed.
Kenny MacAskill, former SNP justice secretary and now Alba MP, has written to health secretary Humza Yousaf calling for a change.
In a letter, the MP for East Lothian has urged Mr Yousaf to review the minimum unit pricing (mup) of alcohol from 50p to 65p.
It comes after figures released last week show that alcohol-specific deaths in Scotland are now at their highest level since 2008, and have risen by 17 per cent between 2019 and 2020.
More than two-thirds of last year’s 1190 deaths were of men, and almost a third were of people in their 50s and 60s.
Inverclyde and Glasgow City had the highest rates over the past five years.
According to the National Records of Scotland figures, the death rate in the most deprived areas was 4.3 times the rate in the least deprived areas in 2020.
Alison Douglas, the chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, previously said the figures were "devastating", but said MUP policy had shown "promising results".l
She said the impact of the pandemic "threatens to undermine" the progress Scotland has made.
Mr MacAskill said Holyrood ministers must now "redouble" their efforts, and start by raising prices.
He said: "The Scottish Government must take bold action to tackle this growing scourge of alcohol deaths in Scotland. Minimum Unit Pricing was meant to mean fewer deaths, fewer admissions to hospital and a reduction in crime. If it is to work effectively it has to be set at the right level.
“That is why I am calling on the Health Secretary to take immediate steps to implement an increase in the level of Minimum Unit Pricing from 50p per unit to 65p per unit in line with what has been called for by SHAAP (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems) and the health and other professionals who work at the front line of tackling alcohol abuse.
“Warm words and yet another review will simply not cut it. We cannot simply wait for the evaluation of Minimum Unit Pricing by Public Health Scotland which will not report until 2023. We need urgent action and we need it now.
“The Scottish Government must do as the Republic of Ireland have done and set Minimum Unit Pricing at an appropriate level. Not acting would be a failure of leadership on the part of the Scottish Government and I urge
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "We continue to keep the level of the MUP [Minimum Unit Pricing] under review, and will consider all relevant emerging evidence.
"A range of factors will need to be taken into account including the impact of the pandemic on the economy, people’s incomes and alcohol affordability.”
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