LICENSING laws should be relaxed to allow NHS staff and vulnerable groups to purchase alcohol before 10am, the Scottish Conservatives have suggested.
Murdo Fraser, his party's constitution spokesman, said the Tories had proposed the change as part of upcoming coronavirus legislation.
Speaking in Holyrood, he said "relaxation of the licensing laws to allow the purchase of alcohol by vulnerable groups and NHS staff before 10am" could be included in a new Bill.
Mike Russell, Scotland's Government Business and Constitutional Relations Secretary, agreed the idea could attract significant support.
He said: "The process of selecting and deciding on the final elements in the Bill is still ongoing."
He added: "I note the point [Mr Fraser] makes about licensing.
"He has raised it with me on a number of occasions. I am still in discussion with colleagues about that.
"But I do think it is a point that would have support, I know, from a whole range of people."
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