Time for an eye-opener on alcohol

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin can expect a few hiccups if he hopes to implement one of the main recommendations of the latest report of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol without opposition.

The single most contentious of the 78 proposed changes is the call for further increases in excise duties on alcohol.

The Task Force has been encouraged to believe hitting drinkers in their pockets is one of the most effective measures to tackle the problem, not only of alcohol abuse, but of Ireland’s relatively high consumption pattern, which sees each of us spend a yearly average of €1,942 on alcohol.