ALEX Salmond is preparing to defy the Scottish Parliament and continue with his plans to raise the age for buying off-sales alcohol to 21 – despite its overwhelming rejection by MSPs last night.
A spokesman for the First Minister said Mr Salmond still believed that raising the age limit was the right approach and the policy is expected to be included in legislation when it is brought before parliament, either later this year or early next.
Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Conservatives joined forces yesterday to vote through a motion condemning the Scottish Government's alcohol age-limit plans.
That vote is not binding on the government, but it sent a clear message to ministers that parliament will not support the proposals. Ministers had been expected to take last night's vote on board and drop the age-limit plans from a package of measures on alcohol.
But the First Minister's spokesman made it clear the SNP wanted to press ahead regardless. He said: "Ministers are very confident of the merits of the proposal."
An SNP insider disclosed later that the over-21s only measure would almost certainly be in the bill to tackle binge drinking when it came forward. But he added that, although ministers were determined to pursue this plan, they were prepared for setbacks and even defeats.
"What we are doing is kicking off a debate which is absolutely necessary in Scotland. We have brought forward radical plans and, as a result, there is now a debate on Scotland's relationship with alcohol," the source said.
Yesterday's vote, 72 to 47 in favour of a Tory motion opposing the new age-limit plans, was greeted enthusiastically by campaigners against the plans inside and outside the chamber.
As soon as the vote was announced, Murdo Fraser, the deputy Tory leader, wrote to Kenny MacAskill, the justice secretary, asking him to withdraw the plans. Mr Fraser said: "It is now clear beyond doubt that the government's proposals have no prospect of attracting parliamentary support."
Mr Fraser said the First Minister had promised, when elected, to listen to the views of the Scottish Parliament. Given the result of the vote, Mr Fraser then asked Mr MacAskill to do just that and ditch the plans.
Mr MacAskill insisted during the debate that Scotland's drink problem was so great that action was needed. He said 40,000 people a year needed hospital treatment for an alcohol-related illnesses and that Scotland had one of the fastest-growing rates of drink-related liver disease and cirrhosis in the world.
He said: "That's why we need a serious debate, with serious suggestions from serious people.
"The difference between us and the other parties is we recognise the scale of the problem and are willing to try to new approaches to tackle it."
BACKGROUNDTHE proposal to raise the legal age for buying alcohol in off-licences is just one of a package of measures from the Scottish Government designed to crack down on excessive drinking, particularly among the young.
The Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill also includes proposals to set minimum prices for alcohol – probably about 35p per unit – and the introduction of separate aisles for alcoholic drinks in supermarkets and shops. Other measures include ending "three for the price of two" type promotions, and introducing a "social responsibility fee" for some alcohol retailers to help pay for the consequences of alcohol misuse.
