Scotland: Minimum Pricing to start 1 May 2018

The Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2018 was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 1 March 2018. Section 1 of the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 had partially been brought into force by the first commencement order on 6 December 2017.

However, this new commencement order brings into force the remainder of the 2012 Act on 1 May 2018 in line with previous expectations. In effect, this means minimum unit pricing becomes mandatory from this date.

Health Secretary Shona Robison confirmed following the recent consultation that the minimum unit price will be 50p, despite numerous calls from certain parties to raise it higher – some suggesting for it to be even as high as 70p per unit.