Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by NHS Health Scotland Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol evaluation, published in November 2019, in particular the finding that the volume of pure alcohol sold per adult through the off trade in Scotland fell by 7.3 per cent in contrast to an increase of 5.9 per cent in England and Wales over the same period.

No formal assessment has been made of the report by NHS Health Scotland on minimum unit pricing (MUP) of alcohol. The Scottish Government is taking forward a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of introducing MUP. The Scottish legislation also includes a sunset clause and the Scottish Government are required to present a report on the impact of MUP to their Parliament five years after implementation which will be published in 2023.

There are no plans for the introduction of MUP in England. The Government will continue to monitor the progress of MUP in Scotland and will consider available evidence of its impact, including the report by NHS Scotland.

This is the answer for HL1750.

The clinically-led review of National Health Service access standards is ongoing. The NHS is currently trialling how these might work and any recommended changes will be based on clinical evidence to ensure the best outcome for patients. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s final recommendations to the Government are due by the spring.