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News

Assembly announce bill on alcohol pricing

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BEERSTHE WELSH ASSEMBLY Deputy Minister for Health has announced a plan to introduce minimum pricing on the unit cost of alcohol. AM Vaughan Gething unveiled the draft, ‘Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Bill’, and stated that it would ‘help save lives by tackling the impact on health and society and drinking too much alcohol’.

The bill proposes introducing an offence for alcohol to be sold or supplied below the minimum price per unit, which would be set at 50p per unit, although this, it says, would be kept under review. The Welsh Government claim that Introducing a 50p minimum unit price is estimated to be worth £882m to the Welsh economy in terms of reductions in illness, crime and workplace absence over 20 years. They state that alcohol misuse in Wales is estimated to cost the Welsh NHS around £109m every year in hospital admissions alone.

They have also linked the problem with crime, and the cost of crime to the taxpayer, which they say would also be expected to fall following the introduction of a minimum unit price, with, they claim, an estimated 3,684 fewer offences a year. Workplace absence the Government says would also fall by up to 10,000 days per year.

The draft bill also proposes new powers for Welsh Ministers to make subordinate legislation to set the minimum unit price for all alcohol sold or supplied in Wales as well as powers for local authorities to enforce the minimum unit price, including powers of entry for authorised officers; an offence of obstructing an authorised officer and the power to issue fixed penalty notices.

Mr Gething said: “Tackling alcohol misuse is a priority for the Welsh Government. In 2013, there were 467 alcohol-related deaths in Wales. Each of these deaths was preventable. This new draft Bill signifies our firm commitment to use our legislative powers to improve and protect the health of the people of Wales. Evidence shows that introducing minimum unit price of 50p per unit would be effective in reducing alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harms and the costs associated with those harms. It will save lives, reduce rates of crime, help ensure valuable NHS resources are used wisely and help businesses by reducing absence from the workplace. Minimum unit pricing will affect those drinks sold at unacceptably low prices relative to their alcohol content. This is a particularly well-targeted measure as it will only have a small impact on moderate drinkers and have the biggest impact on high-risk drinkers.”

The Bill has been met with general approval with Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Health, Darren Millar AM, saying: “A minimum unit price for alcoholic drinks will not in itself address the problems caused by alcohol in society but it would be a step in the right direction. Minimum pricing should be part of a broader package of measures which should include improved education about the dangers of alcohol to younger people and a greater investment in alcohol abuse services. While we will support the Welsh Government’s aims in principle, it will be important to resolve questions which remain over whether the proposals fall within the devolution settlement. The cost of alcohol abuse is incalculable and is often a contributory factor in homelessness, unwanted pregnancy, violence, road accidents, marital break-up and obesity. The need to tackle substance misuse is absolutely crucial.”

The Party of Wales Shadow Health Minister Elin Jones said: “Plaid Cymru has always supported action to minimise the misuse of alcohol and we support minimum pricing. We will scrutinise this Bill thoroughly as it makes its way through the Assembly. However, figures show that alcohol is most widely misused by the professional and managerial classes who are less sensitive to price increases. This Bill in its current form will not tackle this problem – the Labour Government must do more if we are to tackle this problem across the whole socio-economic spectrum.”

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. sjb

    July 30, 2015 at 4:38 pm

    pity a reports come out stating most heavy drinkers are in their 50s + and well off, makes it look even more that the nanny knows best \Senedd are just looking for an excuse to tax the welsh out of existence then blame cameron AGAIN

    Iechyd Da

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Community

Choir joins Welsh Guards Band for memorable concert

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PEMBROKE and District Male Voice Choir shared the stage with the renowned Band of the Welsh Guards during the band’s tour of Wales, delivering a stirring performance at Harri Tudur School hall.

A capacity audience enjoyed the collaboration, with the choir and band uniting for powerful renditions of Welsh classics Cwm Rhondda and Gwaddoloddiad. The Band of the Welsh Guards also performed a medley of traditional Welsh folk tunes and music from the acclaimed film Wicked.

Choir MC Matthew John introduced the evening in his distinctive style, while the choir’s set—featuring newly added pieces Let A New Day Dawn and Tell My Father—was selected by Musical Director Juliet Rossiter. Accompanist William Lambert, a recent addition to the choir, provided support on the keyboard.

The event was co-ordinated by Councillor Aden Brinn, with distinguished guests including Deputy Lord Lieutenant Sharon Lusher, Pembrokeshire County Council Chairman Councillor Steve Alderman, Mayor of Pembroke Councillor Ann Mortesen, Senedd Member Sam Kurtz, and mayors from neighbouring communities.

Proceeds from the evening were donated to the Welsh Guards Charity. A special guest was David Silcox of Haven Self Storage, whose company has sponsored an impressive banner to promote choir concerts.

A moment of silence was observed in memory of the choir’s senior member, Frank Harries, who recently passed away at the age of 95.

The following evening, the choir performed again at Monkton Priory Church, raising funds for the RNLI in another well-attended concert.

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Community

Castle Ward Councillors Meet at Waldo Lounge to Discuss Residents’ Concerns

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ON MONDAY (Mar 11), County Councillor Thomas Baden Tudor, alongside Councillors Randell Izaiah Thomas-Turner and Dani Thomas-Turner from Haverfordwest Town Council, held a joint meeting at the Waldo Lounge.

The gathering provided an opportunity for the councillors to address issues raised by Castle Ward residents and discuss matters of local concern. Councillors were joined by representatives from Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust and Haverfordwest, Fishguard, and St Davids Police, who provided valuable updates on their current and future plans.

Councillor Tudor expressed his gratitude to the services for their insightful contributions, which highlighted ongoing efforts and future projects aimed at improving public services in the area.

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Education

Children learn how delicious potatoes are produced locally in Pembrokeshire

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SCHOOL children from across Pembrokeshire, aged from five to 16, learnt how the food produced locally is delicious and nutritious during a highly successful ‘Food Story / Stori Bwyd’ event, held by the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society.

During the event potato, dairy, sheep and poultry farmers from all over the county volunteered their time to talk to the children and give hands-on demonstrations. They explained to the children how they produce potatoes, dairy products, eggs and meat. They also demonstrated how they farm sustainably, look after local wildlife and how they care for the countryside.

The event was held on the Pembrokeshire County Showground and the focus was on potato growing, production and supply. The children also got the opportunity to taste locally produced jacket potatoes with a variety of toppings cooked perfectly and served by staff from Castell Howell.

Kathy Wilson, a former teacher and now an Honorary Pembrokeshire Show Governor, organised the event on behalf of the Society’s Food Story / Stori Bwyd. She said, “I would like to say a massive thank you to each and every one of the volunteers and who took two days out from their busy work on the farm to come and talk to the children and demonstrate how they produce food and drink. A big thanks also to the local providers who contributed to the event. The smiles on the faces of the children said it all, they listened intently, enthusiastically took part in the demonstrations and the teachers took resources back with them to their schools to continue the learning.

“One of the important elements of Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society’s work is educational and spreading the word around the county about how local food is produced by farmers. Everyone enjoyed eating the jacket potatoes after they had learnt how hard the farmers work to produce them.”

As well as food production, the event was an opportunity to teach the children about the seasonality of what farmers produce locally and how the weather and climate affects the work farmers do as well as the different food groups and healthy eating. 

Adam Thorne, Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society’s President was one of the farmers who volunteered their time to talk to school children at the event. He said, “The Society would like to thank Kathy Wilson and Jo in the show office for all the hours they have put in to organise this magnificent event. To see how much the children enjoyed learning how their food is produced through hands-on demonstrations is heart warming.”

Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society would like to thank NFU Mutual Pembrokeshire, the CLA Charitable Trust and Women in Wales, for their financial support. Thanks also to the Camrose Vintage Working Day for their support as well as the NFU, Wales Farm Safety and Puffin Produce for providing educational resources and buckets for the schools and pupils.

Food Story volunteers will be at the County Show on 20 and 21 August 2025 with an interactive display and demonstrations for children to have fun and take part in to learn where their food comes from.

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