Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary Ross Finnie MSP has demanded a crackdown on rogue alcohol retailers that sell to minors and action to stop the sale of cheap alcohol.

Information obtained by the Liberal Democrats has shown that over 1,000 minors were admitted to hospital accident and emergency units with alcohol-related problems last year.

Commenting, Mr Finnie said:

“It is absolutely vital that we make the long term culture change necessary to stamp out alcohol abuse and tackle underage drinking and the availability of cheap drink.

“Alcohol abuse in young people will leave Scotland with a terrible health legacy. Today the media is reporting that a child aged between 11 and 13 has been diagnosed with a rare alcohol-related brain disease.

“Liberal Democrats have already ascertained that hardly any alcohol retailers had their licences revoked last year, but these latest figures demonstrate that young people are getting their hands on alcohol. The Scottish Government needs to find out why local authorities are failing to suspend licences for those shops that flout the rules. Ministers also need to discover how they can work with and support retailers to prevent minors accessing alcohol.

“At the same time, the Government needs to summon the supermarkets to agree a strategy to curb the availability of cheap drink. It’s not good enough for the supermarkets to cite competition as an excuse for lowering the price of drink. To do so is to deny the wider corporate social responsibility which they undoubtedly have.”