Minimum Alcohol Pricing Planned

Health Minister Jim Wells has unveiled proposals to introduce Minimum Unit Pricing for alcohol in Northern Ireland.

The Minister said he has based his support for Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) on evidence provided by the University of Sheffield in an academic piece of research.

The report found that MUP reduces consumption and alcohol-related harm by ensuring that alcohol cannot be sold at prices that do not affect its strength. It claims MUP will help reduce alcohol consumption, alcohol-related deaths, alcohol-related hospital admissions, crime and absenteeism.

Minister Wells said: "The level of harm caused by excessive alcohol consumption in Northern Ireland is staggering. The total cost to the Northern Ireland economy is estimated to be as high as £900m per year, with the burden to healthcare alone costing up to £240m per year.

"However, this financial burden can never fully describe the incalculable impact that alcohol misuse has on individuals, on families, and on our communities in Northern Ireland. Alcohol misuse remains a significant public health issue for Northern Ireland. We owe it to those individuals who drink heavily, and their families, to do something about this."

Alliance Health spokesperson Kieran McCarthy said: "I believe that we should be setting a minimum pricing of alcohol in Northern Ireland to protect people’s health and to reduce the financial cost of the consequences of binge drinking. We must look at a wide range of measures to tackle this problem but reducing the availability of cheap drinks is a straightforward option that could be done relatively simply.

"The cost of excessive alcohol consumption is staggering, both to our economy and our health system, which often bears the brunt of the consequences. It is important that alcohol is promoted and consumed responsibly, and this would be helped by minimum pricing."

(IT/CD)