Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of minimum unit pricing for alcoholic drinks on health inequalities.

Public Health England (PHE) published an evidence review on the public health impact of alcohol and the effectiveness of policies for reducing alcohol-related harm in December 2016. The review concluded that reducing the affordability of alcohol is the most effective way of reducing alcohol harm, and targeted pricing measures are particularly effective at reducing harm in those groups most at risk. Modelling studies by the University of Sheffield highlighted by PHE suggest that minimum unit price would have a positive impact in closing the health inequalities gap between those in the highest and those in the lowest socioeconomic groups. These studies are available at:

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.661445!/file/Final_mup_iba_report.pdf

Minimum unit pricing and its effects will continue to remain under review pending the impact of its implementation in Scotland.