Health Minister Stephen Donnelly is set to seek approval for minimum alcohol pricing from Cabinet today.Mr Donnelly is hoping to do this through the commencement of Section 11 of the 2018 Public Health Alcohol Act.
Then,the cost of alcohol will soon rise if the Government approves the implementation of minimum pricing for alcohol on Tuesday.At current prices, it is possible for a man to consume his weekly low-risk guideline limit of alcohol for €7.48 while a woman can consume her weekly limit for just €4.84.
The new pricing regime would set a minimum price of €1.32 on a 440ml can of lager; €7.75 on a 750ml bottle of chardonnay; and €20.71 on a 700ml bottle of gin or vodka,Prior to the measure being drawn up, the selling of cheap alcohol in supermarkets and off-licences had been blamed for an increase in alcohol-related deaths.
Scotland, which implemented minimum unit pricing in 2018, saw consumption levels the following year fall to its lowest level in more than two decades.
A recent study by the Health Research Board entitled: ‘HRB Overview, Series 11: Alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harm and alcohol policy in Ireland’, found that alcohol use is the seventh leading risk factor for both deaths and disability-adjusted life years globally, and the leading risk factor among those aged 15–49 years, but that since 2013, alcohol consumption levels have remained stable