Health Secretary Shona Robison confirmed a consultation on the preferred minimum unit price of 50 pence will be published next week and the policy will come into force on 1 May 2018.
The UK Government’s budget does not represent a good deal for Scotland, as a consequence of a real terms cut to Scotland’s revenue block grant of over £200 million next year.
An initiative to cut waiting times and improve the way planned care services are managed is to be rolled out across Scotland thanks to £4 million funding.