Increase in alcohol spending not down to consumption increase, industry says

The alcohol industry has responded to yesterday's report from the CSO that showed Irish people had increased their spending on alcohol.

In the latest figures, it emerged that Irish people spent €6.3bn on alcohol last year, amounting to over 7% of all personal expenditure on goods and services.

The Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland today said the increase in expenditure was down to increases in VAT and excise since the budget, rather than consumption.

"Alcohol consumption is in fact down since the peak of 2001," Director Kathryn D'Arcy said.

"The figures put out … would lead us to believe that we've actually seen an increase in consumption and that is not, simply, the case."