Cost of smoking: PQ: 2008

25 April 2008

Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the annual cost to (a) the Scottish economy and (b) NHS Scotland of (i) alcohol misuse, (ii) smoking and (iii) illicit drug use and what the results were of any such assessments. (S3W-11821)

Shona Robison: The most recent assessment of the cost of alcohol misuse in Scotland comes from work carried out in 2004-05 by the Scottish Executive. They estimated the cost to society of alcohol misuse in 2002-03 as being in the region of £1.1 billion. This assessment updated the costs and methodology developed in the 2001 Scottish Executive report Cost of Alcohol Misuse in Scotland Trends and Costs. The 2001 report estimated the cost of alcohol misuse to be £1 billion. 

The Scottish Government is currently updating these earlier estimates. It is anticipated that the full updated estimates will be published soon. A copy will be sent to the member on publication.

The most recent assessment of the cost of smoking to the economy and the NHS was published in a report commissioned by the Scottish Executive, Reducing Smoking and Tobacco-Related Harm (2003). It is estimated that the annual cost of smoking-related time off work in Scotland is £40 million and total productivity losses are put at £450 million. Smoking is estimated to cost NHS Scotland £200 million a year in hospital care. There has been no assessment of the costs of smoking to primary care services.

Robust estimates of the economic and social impacts of illicit drugs in Scotland are not currently available, but based on research from England and Wales the total costs to society are likely to amount to around £2.6 billion per annum. A research project is currently in progress to produce an initial estimate of the size and value of illicit drug markets in Scotland, and of the economic and social costs associated with illicit drug use. The research will also consider the value of extending the estimates to cover alcohol abuse and tobacco consumption, and is due to be completed later this year.

Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it (a) has spent in each year since 2005-06 and (b) will spend in each of the next three years in tackling (i) alcohol misuse, (ii) smoking and (iii) illicit drug use. (S3W-11822)

Shona Robison: There is a wide range of publicly funded activity to tackle alcohol misuse, smoking and illicit drug use and it is not known centrally how much in total is spent on such activities. The following table shows specifically identifiable spend by the Scottish Government in each year since 2005-06 and in each of the next three years in tackling alcohol misuse, smoking and illicit drug use.

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