Professor Frank Murray:

I thank the committee for this opportunity to present on behalf of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, RCPI. RCPI is specifically concerned with protecting and improving health in Ireland, and has policy groups in three key areas relevant to today's discussion, namely, alcohol, tobacco and obesity.

Every month in Ireland 88 deaths, approximately three per day, are directly attributable to alcohol. Alcohol-related harm costs Ireland an estimated €3.7 billion a year. A recent WHO report found that Ireland is the third highest binge-drinking nation in the world, and on average we consume almost 12 litres of alcohol per year, which is well in excess of the Government's Healthy Ireland target of 9.2 litres. A recent Health Research Board, HRB, survey found that two-thirds of males and half of females started drinking before the legal age of 18 years of age and 75% of people who consume alcohol do so in a harmful way. Meanwhile, the death rate from liver cirrhosis has doubled in Ireland since the 1970’s, in parallel with our increased alcohol intake.

Despite good progress, the toll of tobacco-related deaths is still unacceptably high in Ireland. One out of every two people who smoke long term will die from a smoking-related disease. This accounts each year for at least 5,200 deaths, representing approximately 19% of deaths in Ireland. The cost of treating an in-patient for a smoking-related disease in Ireland amounts to €7,700, while Ireland spends on average €500 million per year on smoking-related diseases.

Obesity is now an epidemic in Ireland. One in four Irish children and two out of three Irish adults are overweight or obese. The estimated cost of this to the Irish State is €1.13 billion per year. If the current trends of obesity continue, it is estimated that the direct health care costs alone will reach €5.4 billion by 2030. RCPI is therefore fully supportive of the Irish Heart Foundation’s call for a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks.

These stark statistics reflect the daily alarming reality observed by physicians and other health professionals. We are increasingly concerned at the alarming increase in human suffering, ill health and death, with dreadful consequences for patients and their families as a result of alcohol, tobacco and sugar. With this in mind, RCPI has proposed a number of evidenced-based fiscal solutions to the Government. We propose that Ireland turn off the tap of cheap alcohol to some of the most vulnerable individuals in Ireland.

We propose the Government introduce minimum unit pricing, MUP, as proposed in the public health (alcohol) Bill, as a matter of the highest priority. The purpose of this is to target the problems caused by cheap strong alcohol, which is largely consumed by problem drinkers and young adults and bought from the off-trade, especially supermarkets. This initiative has little or no impact on the majority of alcoholic products sold in bars or restaurants and does not affect the price paid for alcohol by the retailer. The effect of such price changes are immediate and substantial, and of proven benefit. In parts of Canada where MUP has been introduced, a 10% increase in the MUP of alcohol reduced consumption by 8.4%, and led to a reduction of 32% in alcohol related deaths within one year.