Thank you very much, Llywydd. I’m very pleased to contribute to this debate this afternoon as Chair of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. I’d like to start by thanking my fellow committee members. Our scrutiny of the Bill has been very thorough, and we’ve been able to develop clear recommendations for the Cabinet Secretary. I’d also like to take this opportunity to say that we’re grateful to everyone who took the time to write to us and present evidence to us in one of our formal meetings. We’re also very grateful to the people who gave of their time so that Members and committee staff could speak to them in less formal settings.

This is the second public health Bill of this Assembly, and the second Bill our committee has scrutinised. And although it deals with quite different policy matters compared to those contained in the first Bill, this particular Bill also has the potential to contribute to the aim of improving and protecting the health of the people of Wales.

Notwithstanding those comments, we do believe that this Bill and wider policy require further consideration. The evidence presented to us indicates a need for further action to improve the Bill, to prepare for its commencement, and to support its implementation. Further action is also needed to ensure that the impacts of minimum unit pricing are monitored and understood. We’ve made a number of recommendations that we believe will strengthen the legislation and its implementation, and will also avoid some potential unintended consequences, particularly with regard to dependent drinkers. I will focus my comments on just a few of those issues.

While we agree with the proposal to set the actual minimum unit price via secondary regulation, we believe that more extensive scrutiny opportunities should be given to this Assembly and its committees. The level of the minimum unit price is central to the success of the Bill after all. We believe the regulations should be made by a super-affirmative procedure in order to allow sufficient time for committee scrutiny, including inviting comments from stakeholders and questioning the relevant Welsh Minister, before the Assembly is required to vote on them.

We’ve heard doubts about the groups on which the legislation will have the greatest impact. The Cabinet Secretary has stated that minimum unit pricing for alcohol will have the greatest beneficial impact on hazardous and harmful drinkers. However, we received clear evidence that increasing the floor price below which alcohol cannot be sold will adversely affect drinkers who are dependent on cheap, strong alcohol such as white ciders. We are, therefore, concerned about the availability of adequate alcohol misuse treatment and support services. We’ve recommended that, before commencement of the legislation, the Welsh Government undertakes a robust assessment of the current need for alcohol treatment and support services in Wales to ensure that adequate, futureproofed provision is in place. That’s mentioned in recommendation 7.

We also believe the Welsh Government should monitor the impacts of the soon-to-be implemented regime in Scotland to ensure that any lessons learned can inform the approach to the delivery of these services in Wales. And that's recommendation 8.

We're also concerned that an unintended consequence of the legislation will be to lead some problem drinkers to substitute alcohol for more dangerous and illegal substances. We believe that the Welsh Government should commission independent research to firmly establish how much of a problem substitution is likely to be should minimum unit pricing be introduced. That's recommendation 9.

A number of stakeholders recommended that the Welsh Government imposes a levy on retailers or introduces a voluntary contribution scheme so that a share of any increased profits as a result of minimum unit pricing could be directed to healthcare and support services. We believe the Welsh Government should explore the practicalities of introducing a compulsory levy, or voluntary payment scheme, for retailers. That's recommendation 10, and a number of people spoke about that. The moneys raised by the levy should be used solely for the purpose of tackling alcohol-related harm and contributing to the wider aim of improving and protecting the health of the people of Wales.

In scrutinising this Bill, we were acutely aware that it is viewed by many with scepticism. We're also aware that there are many misperceptions about the effect that the legislation will have on certain groups. As such, we think that communicating the purpose of the legislation to both the general public and the businesses affected will be critical to its success as a health improvement measure. We note the Cabinet Secretary’s comments regarding the allocation of moneys for a communications plan, but do not believe that £100,000 is a sufficient amount to fund this work. As a result, we've recommended that the Welsh Government should review the cost estimates contained in the regulatory impact assessment for the planned communications activity with a view to increasing the total funding available for publicising the changes to businesses and for raising awareness amongst the public. That's recommendation 2.

Now, the Bill has great potential to help address some of the long-standing health concerns surrounding the effect of excess alcohol consumption in Wales. However, minimum unit pricing remains an untested theory, a philosophy, and we have heard some reservations about its suggested impact. And, as a result, the evaluation of the effect of introducing minimum unit pricing in Wales is a critical and necessary element of this legislation. We believe the Bill should be amended to include more detailed provision about the required evaluation, and we've recommended that the evaluation must make reference to a number of things, including the impacts of minimum unit pricing on moderate drinkers, dependent drinkers, substitution behaviours, domestic violence, and cross-border trade. Those issues are raised in recommendations 13 and 14.

The evidence we've received has emphasised that minimum pricing won’t be effective in and of itself, and a range of measures are needed to tackle alcohol misuse. We believe that there is merit in taking action on some of the additional measures identified by stakeholders, including requiring evidence-based health warnings from an independent regulatory body on every alcohol product label, and limiting alcohol advertising. We urge the Cabinet Secretary to fully explore all opportunities, including pressing for action at UK level, to ensure a comprehensive set of measures are in place to reduce alcohol harm.

And, to conclude, we, as a committee, broadly welcome the proposals in the Bill and believe it will contribute to the wider strategic approach to tackling alcohol-related harm in Wales. For this reason, we recommend that the Assembly agrees the general principles. Thank you very much.