Written answers

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Department of Health and Children

Health Services

9:00 pm

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 361: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the estimated cost of alcohol-related harm to the health services; her views on the cut in alcohol excise duty, the implications this will have on increased alcohol consumption and the impact this may have on the health services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48528/09]

Photo of Áine BradyÁine Brady (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Alcohol is causally related to more than 60 different medical conditions and is implicated in numerous premature deaths, accidents and injuries each year. Therefore, the cost of alcohol-related harm to the health system is significant and ongoing.

Figures for 2008 from the Revenue Commissioners for alcohol sales and from the Central Statistics Office for population estimates, indicate that alcohol consumption decreased by 7.63% from the previous year. However, the alcohol sales figures do not include the unrecorded alcohol sales stemming from cross-border purchase of alcohol in Northern Ireland and elsewhere.

My Department will continue to seek to reduce the overall level of alcohol consumption in the population in order to reduce the burden of alcohol-related harm on the health services and on society in general. In order to tackle the problems associated with alcohol use and misuse we need to take responsibility both collectively and individually. There is a social acceptance of alcohol in our society and we need to question the signal that this is sending particularly to our young people.

The work of the Steering Group established to develop the alcohol part of the National Substance Misuse Strategy is very relevant in this regard. It will base its recommendations on effective evidence based measures to deal with this significant public health issue in relation to regulation of supply, pricing, prevention, treatment, awareness and education.

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