Alcohol News

Alcohol Action Ireland has today (17.01.19) launched a new initiative to raise awareness of the experience of growing up in Ireland with parental alcohol misuse.  Called Silent Voices, it aims to end the silence of this experience, by promoting an understanding of the adverse impacts of parental alcohol misuse on the lives of children, including children who are now adults.  It also plans – through engagement with existing services providers – to secure supports for those who have lived, or... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland today welcomed the reporting of the Minster for Health, Simon Harris’ intention to implement Minimum Unit Pricing ‘as soon as possible to address the health harms and cost associated with harmful alcohol consumption’. Ireland’s harmful relationship with alcohol is evident by the continued underlying rise in consumption, with 2018 data likely to further illustrate a continual rise in our drinking, an outcome well documented in the frequent alcohol industry and retailers’ trading statements. Implementing all the provisions... Full Story

Today in the European Parliament, MEPs and health campaigners together with industry representatives, yet again called for the alignment of alcoholic beverages with other food products. In 2011 the European institutions passed Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 that requires food and soft drinks, including fruit juice and milk, to label nutritional information and ingredients. However, after heated debates alcoholic beverages were exempted from this obligation. Currently, when a consumer drinks alcohol it is highly unlikely that they know exactly what they... Full Story

The Irish Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, signed into law today (Wed 17 Oct) by Ireland’s President, Michael D Higgins, presents a set of measures to prevent alcohol related harm, which follow latest evidence base in the field of alcohol policy and recommendations of the World Health Organization. Both World Health Organization Global strategy to reduce harmful use of alcohol and the World Health Organization European action plan to reduce the harmful use of alcohol 2012–2020 encompass measures proposed by the... Full Story

The journey of this progressive legislation has been long and at times difficult. It is said that ‘success has many fathers’ however, in finally passing this legislation, all the Deputies, from across the House, who have supported this Bill are to be greatly commended.    The personal commitment of An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and the tenacious leadership of the Minister of Health, Simon Harris, as its champion has been crucial; the protection of public health does not come that high... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland today (Tuesday 4th September) published its Pre-Budget Submission 2019 and called on Minister Paschal Donohue not to reduce current excise duties on alcohol products and to consider a series of measures that could curb Ireland’s rising alcohol consumption and enhance the capacity of under resourced treatment services. Calls for fiscal measures to curb expanding Off Trade alcohol market Proposes new measures to ensure fresh revenues for innovative proposals to tackle children drinking and enhance alcohol treatment services... Full Story

Alcohol Action today (Wed, 19th Sept) have called on all Members of Dáil Éireann to stand firm against the onslaught of alcohol industry lobbying and to ensure that the health warnings proposed within the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, are enacted. The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill proposes to introduce three specific health warnings informing the consumer of the danger of alcohol consumption, the danger of alcohol consumption when pregnant and of the direct link between alcohol and fatal cancers. These measures... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland has called on the 13 TDs from many political parties and none, urban and rural, to withdraw their proposed amendments to the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, ahead of the forthcoming Report and Final Stages, next Wednesday. Citing the continuous lobbying pressure from the alcohol industry, Alcohol Action highlighted that regrettably these TDs by further delaying enactment are now advancing alcohol business interests rather than leading to protect the health and wellbeing of their constituents. Since the Bill was... Full Story