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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 9 January 2025
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Displaying 905 contributions

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Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

New Petitions

Meeting date: 7 February 2024

David Torrance

I wonder whether the committee would consider keeping the petition open and writing to the Scottish Government to ask whether it intends to carry out work relating to the issues that are raised in the petition and on whether it will undertake work to raise awareness about public rights to access different types of land and the law of trespass in Scotland.

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee

New Petitions

Meeting date: 7 February 2024

David Torrance

The UK National Screening Committee is going to—

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Meeting date: 6 February 2024

David Torrance

The number of applications to extend areas to sell alcohol was over several licensing boards, which shows that those shops are making greater profit from alcohol, because they would not change an area if sales—

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Meeting date: 6 February 2024

David Torrance

I would argue against that. The small paper shop that I go to every day does not sell alcohol at all. It has been there for 20 years and is very successful.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Meeting date: 6 February 2024

David Torrance

Okay. Thank you.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Meeting date: 6 February 2024

David Torrance

Good morning. I know that all the witnesses have touched on this slightly, but I want to ensure that the evidence is on the record for the committee. What would you say to people who have concluded from the available evidence that minimum unit pricing is not working in targeting problem drinkers?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Meeting date: 6 February 2024

David Torrance

Convener, my other questions have been answered.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Meeting date: 6 February 2024

David Torrance

The previous witnesses and all the charities dealing with alcohol-related diseases and problems have called for an alcohol levy, as there was until 2015. I ask each of you to say whether you are in favour of the alcohol levy and for the money raised by it to be put back into the organisations that support people with alcohol addictions and their families and so on.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Meeting date: 6 February 2024

David Torrance

I have just a quick supplementary question. I find it odd that from everybody who is represented here, nobody can tell me where the profit went.

Everybody who sells alcohol needs an operating plan. I spent the last few weeks going through Fife Council’s licensing papers and new applications. The majority of them, especially from small grocers, were for extensions for sales of alcohol. So, you tell me—if they were not making a profit, would they be extending the areas for selling alcohol? So, bigger retailers and smaller grocers are getting their profits. You could go through the licensing papers and check that in every local authority. I would bet that the number of people who are putting in for extensions to sell alcohol shows that they are making greater profit from it.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 (Post-legislative Scrutiny)

Meeting date: 6 February 2024

David Torrance

Is it not the case that you would expand the area to sell a particular good if you are making greater profit from it?