The Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Minimum Unit Price) (Wales) Regulations 2019

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2019 No. 1472 (W. 260)

Food, Wales

Public Health, Wales

The Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Minimum Unit Price) (Wales) Regulations 2019

Made

20 November 2019

Coming into force

2 March 2020

The Welsh Ministers in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 1(1)(a) and 26 of the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018(1), make the following Regulations.

There has been a consultation as required by Article 9 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying procedures in matters of food safety(2).

In accordance with section 26(2)(a) of the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018, a draft of this instrument has been laid before and approved by resolution of the National Assembly for Wales.

Title and commencement

1.—(1) The title of these Regulations is the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Minimum Unit Price) (Wales) Regulations 2019.

(2) These Regulations come into force on 2 March 2020.

Minimum unit price

2.  The minimum unit price for the purposes of section 1(1)(a) of the Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018 is £0.50.

Vaughan Gething

Minister for Health and Social Services, one of the Welsh Ministers

20 November 2019

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

The Public Health (Minimum Price for Alcohol) (Wales) Act 2018 (“the 2018 Act”) makes provision about the minimum price for which alcohol is to be supplied by alcohol retailers from qualifying premises in Wales to a person in Wales and establishes a local authority led enforcement regime.

Section 1 of the 2018 Act sets out the formula which is to be applied in calculating the applicable minimum price for this purpose. That formula is M x S x V.

M is the minimum unit price which is specified in regulations; S is the strength of the alcohol, expressed as a cardinal number (so for instance if the strength is 5%, the relevant cardinal number will be 5); and V is the volume of the alcohol in litres.

These Regulations specify that the minimum unit price (M) for the purposes of the 2018 Act is £0.50.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations in Wales. A copy can be obtained from the Health and Social Services Directorate, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ.

These Regulations were notified in draft to the European Commission in accordance with Directive (EU) 2015/1535 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ No. L 241, 17.9.2015, p. 1) which lays down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical regulations and rules on Information Society Services.

(1)

2018 anaw 5; see section 27(3) for the definition of “regulations”.

(2)

OJ No. L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1, last amended by Commission Regulation (EU) No. 2017/228 (OJ No. L 35, 10.2.2017, p. 10).