John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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1928. To ask the Minister for Health if he has examined the beneficial effects accruing from the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol in Scotland; and when section 11 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 will be commenced in order that similar benefits can be gained here. [15953/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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My Department monitors the impact of the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing in relevant jurisdictions on an ongoing basis and the measure is a continuing agenda item at meetings of the British-Irish Council.

The commencement of Minimum Unit Pricing is currently subject to a Government Decision which envisaged that it would be introduced in Northern Ireland and in the Republic simultaneously. My Northern Ireland counterpart, Minister Robin Swann, recently stated that the measure will not be introduced in Northern Ireland before May 2022 and on that basis I am considering alternative approaches.