Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will certainly consider the point being made by the Deputy and I thank him for his support of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. We had consultation in my Department between retailer representative bodies and officials last Friday and they will revert to me in the coming days with proposals to ensure we can achieve what we want, which is a really important piece of public health legislation, without placing an unfair burden on small shops, which is the concern of a number of people. The Deputy is correct that minimum unit pricing saw a very significant landmark ruling and we now intend to introduce minimum unit pricing in this country, as it is a key part of the public health alcohol legislation. I hope to be back in the Seanad to pass that Bill before Christmas with the co-operation of Senators in all parties.

I take the Deputy's point about cross-Border matters. A previous Government made a commitment that it would introduce minimum unit pricing, conscious of the fact it is not currently in place in Northern Ireland. I will keep in touch with the Deputy on that.

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