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Alcohol plans to suffer 'defeat' Parliament rejects alcohol plans
(1 day later)
Scottish Government plans to raise the age limit for buying alcohol in shops from 18 to 21 are set to be defeated. Scottish Government plans to raise the age limit for buying alcohol in shops from 18 to 21 have suffered a major setback after being defeated.
Opposition parties have been urged to back a Tory motion at parliament, urging MSPs to reject the proposals. MSPs backed a Conservative parliamentary motion, by 72 votes to 47, rejecting the proposals.
Students will also stage a rally outside parliament, claiming the plans would demonise young people. Students who claimed the plans would demonise young people earlier staged a rally outside the Scottish Parliament.
The SNP branded its political rivals irresponsible, saying they had failed to come up with alternatives to tackle drink-fuelled violence in Scotland. As MSPs debated the plans inside, Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill branded his rivals "irresponsible".
Ministers have yet to bring forward the legislation which would raise the age - but Scottish Tory deputy leader Murdo Fraser said the current laws had to be properly enforced. Ministers have yet to bring forward legislation to raise the age - which they said was needed to help tackle Scotland's alcohol-fuelled violence and health problems.
Mr Fraser, who will lead a parliamentary debate on the issue, added: "To target 18 to 21-year-olds suggests that group alone has a specific problem which does not apply to other sectors of society. We cannot go on as we are Kenny MacAskillScottish justice secretary
"This proposal is discriminatory and there is simply no evidence to back it up." Leading the debate, Scottish Tory deputy leader Murdo Fraser told parliament: "The SNP are creating a ludicrous situation whereby students cannot buy a bottle of wine or a few cans of beer to enjoy in the hall of residence or flat.
Alcohol misuse is a national crisis in Scotland Michael MathiesonSNP MSP Official figures, claimed Mr Fraser, showed the number of under-18s prosecuted for drinking, as well as those who bought it for them, was low. "They are creating an even more ludicrous situation whereby a soldier returning from a tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan at the age of 20 cannot buy a bottle of champagne from the off-licence to celebrate with his wife on his return."
Mr Fraser said targeting 18 to 21-year-olds was discriminatory and pointed out that drink problems affected people of all ages.
Labour justice spokesman Richard Baker said it was more important to enforce proof of age cards, test purchasing and tougher sanctions for license breaches should be enforced.
"It is not just that the proposal is therefore in itself deeply flawed, it's that it's part of an artifice to allow political posturing from this government on tackling under age drinking to hide the fact they are failing to invest in measures which will actually make a difference," he said.
The Liberal Democrat Ross Finnie warned against stigmatising a generation with the plan, adding: "We believe it fails fundamentally to contribute to bringing about the essential cultural change in attitudes towards sensible drinking."
But Mr MacAskill said Scotland's drink problem was running up an annual tab of £2.25bn, adding; "We do need legislative change, because the status quo is unacceptable. We cannot go on as we are."
He criticised opposition parties for failing to put forward their own proposals and said trial bans of the 21 scheme in places including Stenhousemuir and Cupar had been "positive."
"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," said Mr MacAskill.
"We won't sit back and watch the problems that have arisen."
Student group NUS Scotland has joined forces with the Coalition Against Raising the Drinking Age in Scotland (Cardas), to rally against raising the age outside parliament.Student group NUS Scotland has joined forces with the Coalition Against Raising the Drinking Age in Scotland (Cardas), to rally against raising the age outside parliament.
NUS Scotland president Gurjit Singh, said: "We hope this debate will force the government to rethink its unworkable and ill-thought out proposal."NUS Scotland president Gurjit Singh, said: "We hope this debate will force the government to rethink its unworkable and ill-thought out proposal."
Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott said: "Under the SNP's plans, some young people won't be able to buy a bottle, but they can have a ballot and a gun to fight for their country." And Green MSP Patrick Harvie hit out at the "Puritanism" surrounding the discussion of alcohol at Holyrood.
Nationalist MSP Michael Mathieson, whose Falkirk West constituency hosted a pilot ban on alcohol in off-sales to under-21s, said drink was costing Scotland more than £2bn a year. Recalling one debate, he said: "Speech after speech talking about the need to save communities from the demon drink by MSPs who then sauntered downstairs where huge trays of free booze awaited us all."
"It's affecting our health service, our criminal justice system and our economy, and we need to take action to rebalance our relationship with alcohol," he said.
"Alcohol misuse is a national crisis in Scotland - it needs people of goodwill to come together, exchange ideas based on the evidence of what works, and hopefully reach agreement on the best way forward."