Legal costs associated the Alcohol Minimum Pricing court actions: FOI release

Information requested

Please provide the total cost to the Scottish Government of resisting legal action by the Scottish Whiskey Association against minimum alcohol pricing, as per the below decision.

https://caselaw.nationalarchives.gov.uk/uksc/2017/76

If only partial costs can be provided, such as external legal fees, please provide this, setting out what can and can’t be disclosed.

Response

I enclose a copy of the information you requested. In relation to the costs associated with the government’s role in the minimum pricing court actions, to date the legal costs incurred during the court process amounts to £539,656. The following table breaks down the costs over the seven financial years to which they relate:

Calendar year	£
2012/13	176,458
2013/14	79,638
2014/15	63,898
2015/16	51,024
2016/17	63,642
2017/18	99,517
2018/19	5,479
Total	539,656

In winning the court case it is worth noting the Scottish Government were reimbursed the total cost of the legal fees and in 2018/19 we received an additional £125,000 in compensation/settlement.

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