Following the Scottish Government’s consultation on introducing ad bans for alcohol across all media, new First Minister, Humza Yousaf, has confirmed that the Scottish government will drop its current proposals to ban alcohol advertising in Scotland and will “go back to the drawing board” to create new proposals, in partnership with industry and health stakeholders.
This change comes after the IPA and our fellow trade bodies submitted responses to the consultation, expressing our concerns over the likely impact of the proposals on the alcohol industry, local communities and agencies.
The IPA has welcomed confirmation from Scotland’s First Minister that he has instructed officials to take proposals for alcohol ad bans back to the drawing board and will work with industry on a new set of proposals. Of course, everyone wants to see a reduction in alcohol harms, but the original proposals would have done little to address the problem while risking significant damage to businesses – including agencies – and to local communities. We look forward to working with officials on any new proposals.
Last updated 01 May 2024