Help on way for councils to enforce bans
Salmond promises special measures to combat under-age buyers
Published:
LOCAL authorities will get extra help enforcing a ban on selling tobacco products to under-18s.
First Minister Alex Salmond revealed yesterday that the Scottish Government will “shortly” be making an announcement on how it plans to help councils.
He made his comment in response to a question from North-east Tory MSP Alex Johnstone about what the government was doing to help retailers and authorities curb both the buying of age-restricted goods, such as alcohol and cigarettes, by those under age, and the proxy buying of such goods by adults.
A recent survey of 553 stores by the Scottish Grocers Federation uncovered 165 incidents of physical violence against staff and 1,269 of verbal abuse in relation to the sale of age-restricted goods.
Mr Salmond said the use of test buying and cracking down on illegal sales was a priority for the government.
It has increased funding over the next three years to local authorities by 13% and to the police by 9% to help them enforce the law, and put £120million into tackling alcohol abuse.
“We are continuing to work with local authorities and the police to ensure that everything possible is done to tackle illegal sales,” Mr Salmond said.
“We will shortly be making an announcement about providing specific resources to local authorities to enable them to step up the en- forcement of the tobacco sales law.”
