Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act of the Scottish Parliament to make provision about the price at which alcohol may be sold from licensed premises; and for connected purposes.
Introduced by Nicola Sturgeon MSP
Territorial extent Scotland
Dates
Royal assent29 June 2012
Commencement1 May 2018
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament, which introduces a statutory minimum price for alcohol, initially 50p per unit, as an element in the programme to counter alcohol problems.

The Act was passed with the support of the Scottish National Party, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens. The opposition, Labour, refused to support the legislation because the Act failed to claw back an estimated £125m windfall profit from alcohol retailers.[1] The Labour MSP Malcolm Chisholm, the former Minister for Health and Community Care, disobeyed his party's whip and supported the government.

  1. ^ "Scottish minimum alcohol pricing passed by parliament". Glasgow: BBC Scotland. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2013.