Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the potential effect on (a) cross-border trade and (b) smuggling of the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland; and if she will make a statement.

The impact assessment carried out in 2012 by the previous Government on introducing MUP in England and Wales examined possible risks of both smuggling and consumers purchasing lower cost alcohol from across the border.

That assessment found that this would be unlikely to become a significant issue as the costs associated with travelling across borders from the main centres of population in Scotland were deemed likely to outweigh the benefits of purchasing a cheaper product. Minimum Unit Pricing and its effects will continue to remain under review pending the impact of its implementation in Scotland.