Minimum alcohol unit price being considered

MINIMUM prices for each unit of alcohol and specific warnings on content are among the considerations in a major report due to be delivered to the Minister for Health.

The Government has already begun drafting legislation to beef up the warnings on drinks which would improve the advice on the content and impact of each product.

On top of this Health Minister James Reilly said the steering group finalising the National Substance Misuse Strategy will also investigate proposals to set a minimum price per unit of alcohol. This has been floated in Britain as an alternative way of restricting the sale of cheap spirits to younger people.

Less than two weeks ago a consultation process began in the North with a view to fixing a floor on the price of alcohol.

If it goes ahead consumers in the North would have to pay between £0.40 and £0.70 per unit. Under this plan a bottle of wine could not be sold for less than €4.65 and a six-pack of beer would have to cost more than €5.

Dr Reilly said the steering group will base its recommendations on evidence into the effect of price, availability and marketing.

This would be on top of the Government’s commitment to strengthen warnings on alcoholic products regarding its effect on health and, in particular, pregnancy.

This step has been welcomed by the drinks industry. The lobby group, the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland, said it had recommended such a move four years but it was not taken up.

The body’s acting director, Kathryn D’Arcy, said a full body of information, including pictures and advice, could be facilitated on packaging and this was suggested by her group.

“This unit information would allow consumers benchmark their consumption against the Government’s recommended weekly limits of 21 units for men and 14 for women. These labels were to be introduced as soon as possible, accompanied by an awareness campaign.

“We also agreed to the introduction of a pictogram/text highlighting the risk of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. As with the unit information, this logo will be placed on all pre-packaged beverage alcohol products sold in Ireland,” she said.