Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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464. To ask the Minister for Health his views on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6005/17]

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Government approved the publication of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill as a direct policy response to reduce the harms caused by alcohol. Recognising that there is no single simple answer, the Bill includes a range of measures designed to collectively have a positive impact on the health and well-being of Irish people.

The Department considered the specific retail environment at airports when drafting the Bill. A full exemption from the Minimum Unit Price provisions was provided to all alcohol products sold in tax-free shops to travellers departing the State. A further exemption was provided to airports in relation to the separation and visibility of alcohol products. These exemptions were provided to allow Irish airports to retain their competitive advantage i.e. Irish Duty Free and Travel Retail premises can maintain their tax exemption and compete with other international airports that employ similar exemptions. Similarly, given the unique retail environment, alcohol products can continue to be sold from more than one location in airports.

My Department considers that the suite of measures contained in the Bill are a proportionate response to address the harms caused by the misuse of alcohol and bring about a cultural shift in our attitude to alcohol. The principle of the labelling provision is to provide consumers with information about the alcohol product and to provide health warnings. On this basis, the Department is not providing an exemption from the labelling provisions in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. The labelling provisions will apply to all retailers. The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill provides a 3 year lead in time for the introduction of the labelling provisions. This time frame was adopted following a consultation with the industry and is considered to give sufficient time for manufacturers and retailers to prepare for these new provisions.