The Republic of Ireland's Minister for Health Leo Varadkar today launched (Wednesday 9 December 2015) the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill which sets out to reduce the damage that alcohol causes to individuals and to society.
The Bill sets out measures in the following areas:
- a minimum unit price of 10c per gram of alcohol in alcohol products, to eliminate very cheap alcohol from all stores and shops;
- structural separation of alcohol products from other products in outlets, either by containment in a unit or a separate area of the store, so that it’s not sold like a normal groceries product;
- Prohibition of price-based promotions and tougher restrictions on targeted promotions such as ‘happy-hour’;
- Health warnings and calorie labelling on alcohol products, with corresponding warning signs and information in pubs and off-licences;
- Regulation of advertising, marketing of alcohol and sponsorship, with criminal sanctions applying for the first time;
- An enforcement regime with inspections by Authorised HSE officers and penalties for non-compliance, including fixed payment notices.
The IPH welcomes the publication of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015. Many of the items in it resonate strongly with findings in the Reducing alcohol-related harm by addressing alcohol availability - maximising benefits for North South cooperation report which was published in July 2014 by The IPH in association with the North South Alcohol Policy Advisory Group.
Read the IPH Submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children on the Heads of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015.
Media coverage:
Bill to ban alcohol adverts near schools, on public transport: Irish Times
