Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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343. To ask the Minister for Health if any regulatory impact analysis has been conducted with respect to the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015, particularly with respect to small and medium sized commercial retail enterprises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32837/16]

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) was conducted with respect to the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015. The RIA examined a range of options available to reduce alcohol consumption and associated harms including: No Policy Change, Undertake an Awareness/Information Campaign, Provide for Self-Regulation/Co-Regulation, Seek Higher Taxes on all alcohol products, Legislate for the implementation of recommendations contained in the National Substance Misuse Strategy. The RIA was published and is available at: .

The General Heads of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 also underwent pre-legislative scrutiny from the Joint Committee on Health and Children following their publication. This process aims to enhance the legislative process by allowing Committees' to identify and explore significant issues at an early stage with the aim of producing better regulations. The Committee held five public sessions and engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to consider the Heads of the Bill. It also received a substantial number of submissions. Overall, the Committee was generally supportive of the proposed measures.