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Measures are Unfair and Absurd
17 June 2008
Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) responds to the Scottish Government’s announcement of their alcohol strategy document and consultation paper on alcohol misuse.
SGF believes that there are certain elements of the strategy that are unfair and absurd. Whilst it is recognised that there is a need to address Scotland’s attitude to alcohol misuse, some aspects of the paper are wrong and inappropriate. The document is full of measures that have not been fully thought through and lack evidence.
John Drummond, SGF’s Chief Executive made comments under the following headings highlighted in the report.
Minimum Pricing
Minimum pricing will unfairly penalise the responsible drinking majority. This measure will only serve to increase prices at a time when families are watching their budgets. SGF believe alcohol misuse reduction measurers should target the minority who misuse alcohol to the detriment of themselves and others.
There is very little difference between price and availability across the UK, indeed the price is slightly more expensive in Scotland on a per unit basis while disposable income is less compared to other parts of the UK. Availability is also more restricted in Scotland than England yet alcohol misuse is greater in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK. This suggests cultural issues at play.
Raising the Age Limit to 21 for off sales
This is extremely unfair and would result in the farcical situation where an 18 to 21 year old could go into a pub or club to consume alcohol but that same individual would be unable to purchase alcohol from an off licence. This measure is discriminatory on a commercial level and also on a personal level. It is another blanket measure which would penalise the vast majority of 18 to 21 year olds who drink sensibly. SGF is not aware of any evidence which suggests that anti social behaviour is solely or even in the majority of cases as a direct result of convenience stores selling alcohol.
No other EU country has an age limit of 21 for off sales purchases, yet the issue of alcohol misuse appears greater in Scotland than compared to the rest of the UK and Europe. This would suggest that Scotland’s issues with alcohol are cultural. Therefore, rather than demonising alcohol and increasing the fascination surrounding it, the Government should be concentrating on changing our culture, encouraging awareness of sensible drinking and acknowledging the need for personal responsibility, an important consideration which should not be ignored in this debate.
At 18 you can vote, drive, marry and fight for your country but don’t expect to buy a six pack to drink in front of the TV when you get back from Iraq.
Promotions
Everyone enjoys a bargain. It therefore appears particularly harsh at a time when people are feeling the pinch, in terms of higher food prices and higher fuel prices, that we could be faced with higher prices for wine and beer not because stores want to charge more but because a Government wants consumers to pay more. Once again it appears that the majority are to be penalised as a result of the minority.
Social Responsibility Fee (Previously referred to as Polluters Pay Levy)
This fee assumes that retailers are irresponsible which is an outrageous suggestion. A levy is just another name for a tax which could threaten the livelihoods of small shopkeepers already facing a doubling in the cost of their licence fees.
SGF members demonstrate responsibility in the way they run their businesses and are very aware of the serious consequences if they do not properly enforce the law regarding the sale of alcohol. Many now operate a Challenge 25 policy to ensure they uphold the law and safeguard their licence.
Other Issues
There are a number of other issues covered by the document which will require to be considered thoroughly. SGF will be responding to the paper in due course after full consultation with its members.
SGF Members Reject Police Plans for Ban on Sale of Alcohol to Under 21’s in Dumfries Off-Licences
11 June 2008
Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) members in Dumfries have refused to take part in a local initiative run by Dumfries and Galloway Police to ban the sale of alcohol to under 21’s. The initiative called ‘Operation Hyena’ requests off-sales retailers only to ban the sale of alcohol to under 21’s on a Friday and Saturday night from 5 pm to 10 pm for the next two months, commencing on the 11th July.
Commenting on the decision taken by members, John Drummond, Chief Executive, SGF, said:
“Our members, who are responsible retailers, are very aware that making the mistake of selling alcohol to someone underage already comes with the threat of losing your business or your job, as well as fines and possible prison sentences. As a result many have adopted “Challenge 21” or in some cases “Challenge 25” policies which require a customer to provide proof of age, if they are purchasing an age restricted product and a sales assistant suspects they may be underage. If the customer cannot provide proof of age the sale is refused and recorded in a refusals register. In addition, members invest considerable sums of money training staff and managers, on a continuing basis, on responsible retailing of all age-related products including alcohol.
“The Scottish Government recently launched a consultation paper on measures to deal with alcohol issues, one of which is the proposed age increase to 21 for the sale of alcohol in off-sales. I believe it is quite wrong for any constabulary to introduce the same measure, albeit on a limited basis, whilst this consultation is in place. It is also patently wrong for off-sales to be singled out in this respect.
“We take the issue of age-related sales very seriously indeed but we feel that operations of the kind suggested only serve to confuse staff and customers alike whilst discriminating against the majority of 18 to 21 year olds who drink responsibly. We are happy to co-operate with the Police and other authorities within the parameters of the law; we can share CCTV information and intelligence on suspicions around third-party/proxy purchases i.e. where an adult buys for youngsters. However, we are not happy at entering into a scheme which has not been well publicised and has been communicated to the trade at very short notice.
“I have written to Dumfries and Galloway Police Constabulary to make them aware of SGF’s view on this issue.”
Scottish Grocers Federation