Government has no plans to raise minimum unit price for alcohol

Measure was first introduced in 2022 in a bid to reduce serious illness and death from alcohol consumption

Minimum unit pricing has been criticised for penalising customers in Ireland. 

The Government has no plans to increase the minimum unit price for alcohol, as the health minister awaits the findings of a review into the measure.

Minimum unit pricing, which sets a floor price for alcohol under which retailers cannot charge, was first introduced in January 2022, with officials describing it as a health measure to reduce serious illness and death from alcohol consumption.

It’s based on the strength of the drink and the quantity in the bottle or can, but it sets a floor price of €7.40 for a typical bottle of wine and €1.70 for cans of beer or stout.

Minimum unit pricing has been introduced in other countries, including Scotland and Wales.

However, the measure has been criticised for penalising consumers when Ireland already faces some of the highest costs for alcohol in the European Union.

Statistics published last year by Eurostat suggested people in Ireland pay double the EU average for alcohol and tobacco.

Earlier this week, the Senedd — parliament — in Wales passed regulations to increase its minimum price of alcohol by 30% to bring it in line with Scotland.

It pointed out that inflation had eroded the impact of minimum pricing since its introduction.

The Welsh government said independent research it commissioned suggests that increasing the minimum unit price from 50p to 65p could prevent more than 900 alcohol-related deaths over 20 years and reduce the number of harmful drinkers by nearly 5,000.

'Clear that minimum unit pricing works'

Its minister for mental health and wellbeing Sarah Murphy said the evidence was “clear [that] minimum unit pricing works”.

“We have today taken a decision which will save lives and help protect many people from the harms caused by drinking too much alcohol,” she said.

The developments in Wales prompted Alcohol Action Ireland to make similar calls here.

Its CEO Sheila Gilheany said: “In Ireland, people can drink to harmful levels for relatively little. 

Health harm from alcohol is caused not only by the amount of alcohol consumed over months and years, but also patterns of drinking such as binge drinking.

“By targeting the sort of alcohol consumption that causes significant health, social, and economic problems — the cost of which is paid for by the State — it saves taxpayers money.

"However, the effects of inflation will wipe out many gains if action is not taken to adjust the MUP threshold, so increasing it by 30% is just a common sense approach, there is nothing outlandish about it.” 

The Department of Health has ruled out such a measure for the time being.

In November 2024, a technical evaluation group was established to evaluate provisions from the Public Health Alcohol Act 2018, which included minimum unit pricing along with curbs on advertising and the “booze barriers” in shops and supermarkets.

It was due to submit an interim report on its progress by early 2026.

“The Report from the Alcohol Act Technical Evaluation Group (AATEG) has not yet been submitted to the minister for health,” a department spokesperson said.

“The minister has no plans at this time to increase Ireland’s minimum unit price for alcohol.”