Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Health the intentions he has regarding the report of the National Substances Misuse Strategy Steering Group; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48954/12]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The report of the National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group is a roadmap for the future direction of policy to deal with the use and misuse of alcohol. The report made a range of recommendations on the supply, availability and marketing of alcohol; it also recommended measures on minimum unit pricing to target at risk drinkers and includes measures on prevention strategies, treatment and rehabilitation as well as substance dependency research and information. Taken together, these policy measures will tackle the harms of alcohol misuse in our society.

My Department is in the final stages of preparing a concrete set of proposals on the basis of the National Substance Misuse Strategy Steering Group report; and following consideration by the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy, the intention is to submit these to Government for consideration and approval as soon as possible.