Todd offered her “heartfelt condolences” to those affected by the loss of a loved one through alcohol.

She said: “It is welcome to see the number of deaths at the lowest level since 2019 and we are continuing to work closely with local Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships (ADPs) and other stakeholders to provide targeted, person-centred support, backed by record levels of funding of around £160m this year.

“However, while we are making progress on tackling the harms caused by alcohol, we cannot become complacent.”

She added that it was a “public health priority” in Scotland and said the country’s Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) policy had “saved hundreds of lives and is likely to have averted hundreds of alcohol-attributable hospital admissions”.