PRESS RELEASE

March 5th, 2010

Battle with the booze

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has called for 'sensible and workable' proposals to tackle Scotland's alcohol problems.

Official figures show that Inverclyde has one of the higfhhest rates of liver disease in the west of Scotland.

They were 190 cases of alcoholic liver disease across the area in 2008-2009, according to NHS stats.

They also revealed that more than 1,000 patients were discharged from hospitak in the last two years with alcohol-related probloems.

Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, said: “These figures prove that Inverclyde and Scotland as a whole has a serious problem with alcohol.

“That is why we need sensible and workable proposals that allow us to build a consensus on how to tackle this issue and I am pleased that we are now having that debate in the Scottish Parliament.

“We have to think smarter if we are going to get to the heart of this issue and I look forward to seeing the findings of the ongoing Alcohol Commission when they report back later this year.”