Alcohol price increase 'may not tackle drinking problems'
The government has unveiled new measures to help curb the number of people suffering from drink-related illnesses, such as increasing the price of alcohol.
According to health secretary Andy Burnham, one way of lowering mortality rates associated with heavy drinking would be to set a minimum price on alcohol, with somewhere between 40p and 50p per unit suggested.
This would make the price of a six-pack of lager around £6 and a bottle of wine £4.50 at the lowest, though the measure has been thrown into question by some experts, including Michael Linnell, director of communications at the Lifeline Project.
He said that there is "certainly" evidence to support raising the price of alcohol in order to curb excessive drinking, but added that this is unlikely to solve all of the problems associated with it.
"Someone dependant on alcohol is going to get hold of alcohol no matter what. They have always done that and always will," he explained.
Mr Burnham announced that a rise in the duty on spirits and industrial white cider is also a possibility and has called for a committee meeting about issues including a mandatory labelling scheme for alcoholic drinks.
However, Mr Linnell said that there is "no magic bullet" to eliminate the problem and pointed out that price limits would severely affect the drinks industry.
"What we do see is with nations in Scandinavia where alcohol is very expensive, this tends to see an influence over levels of drinking," he said.
The expert stated that many people simply choose to save up for a while and then go and get incredibly drunk, and he noted that this may happen in the UK if similar measures are introduced.
Posted by Louise Jones
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