Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank party leaders and other Members of the House who have expressed condolences to the family of Cormac Ó Braonáin, and to the Labour Party given that he was the chair of Labour Youth, following his tragic passing in a road traffic accident last weekend. We are very grateful for that.

When the Labour Party was in government earlier in this decade, we were very keen to advance the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015, which has since become the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018. It was signed by the President in October 2018. I am concerned about the lack of progress in implementing this legislation since its enactment. As the Taoiseach knows, the introduction of minimum unit pricing of alcohol is one of the central measures provided for in the Act. Under the Act, the "minimum price per gram of alcohol ... shall be €0.10". As half a litre of strong beer with an alcohol strength by volume of 5% contains 20 g of alcohol, it should have a minimum price of €1.98. This would not have an impact on premium brands, craft beers or the average bottle of wine. Two of the categories of people on whom it would have an impact are young people involved in the binge drinking of cheap alcohol and those who are addicted to consuming high volumes of spirits. When will the Taoiseach set out a timeframe for the full implementation of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018?

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