Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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522. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol; and the timeline to which he is working. [4232/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As the administration in Northern Ireland is now operative, both jurisdictions can introduce this measure simultaneously and this will ensure that its effectiveness cannot be diminished by the availability of cheaper alcohol across the border. I have already written to my counterpart in Northern Ireland to set out the importance of minimum unit pricing and to request that its introduction be prioritised there. I am willing to wait for simultaneous introduction but I will keep this under constant review as neither I nor the Government are willing to wait forever to implement this important public health measure.