Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We will do that. As I stated, I appeal to the Northern Ireland Executive on this. We are seven months away from this being implemented. The legislation was passed in 2018 and my understanding is it had all-party agreement at the time. The Northern Ireland Executive should align with this policy and I appeal to the parties to give this serious consideration. It is really designed to help young people and children, while avoiding the exploitation of below-cost selling, to be frank, and the patterns of alcohol consumption it creates, particularly among children and teenagers.

All the studies on alcohol demonstrate the harm caused by misuse of alcohol is closely related to the time of initiation to alcohol consumption; in other words, the earlier a child starts drinking, the greater the likelihood of problems later in life. We know from experience with tobacco and other areas that price matters in this respect, particularly in terms of children and young people. We will contact the Northern Ireland Executive on this and continue our engagement with it.

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