The Scottish Government

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background to the Consultation

1.1 In June 2008 the Scottish Government published ' Changing Scotland's Relationship with Alcohol: A Discussion Paper on Our Strategic Approach'. ² The discussion paper:

• illustrated the scale of alcohol-related harm in Scotland and how addressing this could help to deliver the Scottish Government's strategic objectives of creating a Wealthier and Fairer, Safer and Stronger, Healthier and Smarter Scotland;
• outlined the many actions already underway which Ministers felt would contribute to tackling both the underlying causes of, and negative effects resulting from, Scotland's relationship with alcohol; and,
• put forward a Framework for Action that set out measures to reduce alcohol-related harm in Scotland, forming the basis of a comprehensive strategic approach to tackling alcohol misuse.

1.2 Nicola Sturgeon, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, stated in the Foreword to the discussion paper that the proposed strategy is based on the underlying premise that:

"Scotland's current relationship with alcohol is undermining our potential as individuals, families, communities and as a country. If we are to fulfil our ambitions, we must rebalance our relationship with alcohol."³

1.3 The reasons presented in the discussion paper for the radical action being proposed by the Scottish Government to tackle alcohol misuse included:

• increasing levels of consumption to "excessive levels" over the last 50 years - 2007 sales data estimate Scots over the age of 16 drank, on average, the equivalent of almost 23 units of alcohol per week, compared to around 19 units in England and Wales; ⁴
• alcohol misuse imposes burdens on business and public services - the total cost of alcohol misuse to Scotland was estimated to be around £2.25 billion in 2006-07 including: £820 million to Scottish industry in lost productivity and absence; £405 million to NHS Scotland; and £288 million to fund the police response to alcohol misuse; ⁵
• alcohol misuse contributes to crime and anti-social behaviour - for example, 45% of prisoners in 2007 said they were drunk at the time of the offence and 62% of domestic abuse cases in 2003 involved alcohol; ⁶
• alcohol is a major contributory factor to ill-health and to health inequalities in Scotland - for example, in the last decade alcohol related attendances at Scottish hospitals have increased by almost 50% and those living in the 20% most deprived communities are around six times more likely to be admitted to hospital (and to die) due to alcohol misuse than those in more affluent areas; ⁷ and,
• alcohol misuse impacts on children and families - for instance, 65,000 children are estimated to live with a parent whose drinking is ' problematic'.⁸

1.4 The Scottish Government's proposed strategic approach to tackling alcohol misuse set out in the discussion paper is to deliver long term sustainable change requiring action across four broad areas:

• reduced alcohol consumption;
• supporting families and communities;
• positive public attitudes towards alcohol and individuals better placed to make positive choices about the role of alcohol in their lives; and,
• improved support and treatment for those who require it. ⁹

The Consultation Process

1.5 The discussion paper outlined the Scottish Government's proposed strategic approach to tackling alcohol misuse. It set out in some detail the actions the Scottish Government is already committed to along with new proposals on which views were being sought. In particular, the discussion paper sought views on questions (see Appendix 1) set within the context of seven themes or issues:

• further action to end irresponsible promotion and below-cost selling of alcoholic drinks in licensed premises;
• the introduction of minimum retail pricing of alcohol;
• what particular information parents would find helpful in relation to alcohol;
• raising the legal minimum age for off-sales purchases to 21;
• the introduction of a 'social responsibility fee' applied to some alcohol retailers to offset the costs of dealing with the consequences of alcohol misuse;
• further restrictions on promotional material in licensed premises; and,
• the desirability of separate checkouts for alcohol sales.

1.6 The consultation on the discussion paper ran from 17 ^th June to 9 ^th September 2008. The consultation process followed the Scottish Government's Consultation: Good Practice Guidance, which sets out the key elements and principles of public consultations.

1.7 Respondents were invited to respond using an on-line questionnaire available on the Scottish Government website. The questionnaire included the set questions and also provided opportunities for respondents to provide additional clarification or comments on the key issues raised. Alternatively, respondents were able to respond in writing either answering the set questions or providing their comments on the issues raised in the discussion paper.

1.8 The discussion paper was distributed to a wide range of stakeholder organisations including local government, Licensing Boards and Forums, health professionals and organisations, the alcohol industry, alcohol service providers, voluntary organisations and youth organisations. Also it was made available to the general public via the Scottish Government website. It was available in different languages and alternative formats, such as Braille and in audio, on request.

1.9 In addition, the Scottish Government organised a Summit on Underage Drinking to provide an opportunity for young people and professionals working with young people to contribute their views on the actions and proposals set out in the discussion paper. It also commissioned Young Scot to carry out a survey of young people and a series of focus groups to gauge young people's views on the strategic approach being proposed in the discussion paper. Scottish Government officials met with a wide range of stakeholders, including alcohol retailers, producers, trade associations, health organisations and youth groups, during the consultation period to discuss key proposals included in the discussion paper.

1.10 The results of the consultation exercise and feedback from the Summit on Underage Drinking, the Young Scot survey and other related consultation exercises will be used to inform the Scottish Government's strategic approach to alcohol misuse and any legislation that would be necessary to take forward elements of the strategy.

Methodology

1.11 The Scottish Government commissioned Hexagon Research and Consulting and Adrian Colwell Associates to undertake the analysis of the written responses to the discussion paper and to report on the outcomes of the Summit on Underage Drinking.

1.12 The first stage of the analysis of responses was to devise a typology of respondents in order to provide a breakdown of respondents according to significant features, such as type of organisation and sectoral interest. This was used to allow responses to be analysed on a segmented basis according to the characteristics of individuals and organisations.

1.13 The analysis of written responses was based on a quantitative analysis of responses to the closed questions (requiring a Yes / No answer) and a qualitative analysis of supplementary comments and responses to open ended questions (inviting comment and views). A coding framework was developed to allow responses to all the questions to be categorised and analysed in a systematic way. As well as recording whether respondents were in favour of a proposal ('Yes') or against it ('No') in response to closed questions, the coding framework recorded responses that were seeking further information or were unclear or undecided ('Not sure'). Responses from individuals were analysed separately from the responses submitted by or on behalf of organisations. All organisational responses were considered and given equal weighting in the quantitative analysis.

1.14 Many respondents did not answer all questions and a small number of respondents, mainly organisations with a specialist interest, focused on one aspect of the consultation rather than answering the set questions. Therefore, in order to provide a more meaningful and consistent comparison across questions the percentages reported in the analysis provided in Chapters 3 and 4 (in the text and tables / charts) are based on 'valid responses' - the number of responses to each question and not the total of all responses. Also, it should be noted that for a number of questions respondents generally indicated their support or opposition to the overall principle behind the proposal rather than commented on the details or possible criteria for implementation, as requested in the discussion paper's question. Where this is the case, this has been highlighted in the text.

1.15 The quantitative analysis has been supplemented by a qualitative analysis of comments and views submitted by respondents. Responses to the open ended questions were read in full and the key issues raised were noted and coded. As well as providing additional information about respondents' views on the detailed measures outlined in the discussion paper the qualitative analysis was used to provide quotes illustrative of different views expressed by respondents.

This Report

1.16 Chapter 2 of this report provides an analysis of respondents including a breakdown of organisational respondents. The following two chapters provide quantitative and qualitative analyses of responses submitted by individuals ( Chapter 3) and organisations ( Chapter 4). Chapter 5 provides a summary of views obtained from other surveys and events related to the discussion paper, including a brief summary of the views of participants who took part in the Scottish Government's Summit on Underage Drinking and the Young Scot survey. Chapter 6 provides brief conclusions drawn from the analysis of responses.

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