For seven years, we as an Alliance of healthcare professionals, NGOs and public health advocates have sought to encourage a constructive new direction in public alcohol policy. Our commitment was to ensure that Ireland’s chronic problematic use of alcohol was addressed as a public health crisis.
Crucially, we believe, informed by international best policy evidence, that adequate control and regulation had to be established in order to curb the demand for alcohol. This will ensure that less alcohol is purchased with consequent reduction in alcohol harms. This would be particularly helpful to those who caused themselves, and others, the most harm through persistent binge and heavy drinking.
The public health objectives of reducing the high rate of alcohol related deaths and lessening the alcohol harm was paramount. Today, three people will die directly because of alcohol and seven indirectly, in Ireland. Over the past 40 years the mortality rate from alcohol-related liver disease has increased 400%.
Central to this public health approach was the need to address the universal availability of cheap strong alcohol in every community throughout Ireland. This damaging situation has been sustained by a hyper competition amongst retailers and fuelled by the commercial practices of the alcohol producers.
The solution to ending this alcohol fuelled epidemic of harms and death is the implementation of minimum pricing for alcohol products – a policy approach recommended by the WHO, whereby a floor price is introduced below which a fixed volume of alcohol cannot be sold to the public. MUP increases the price of only the cheapest alcohol. Numerous reviews of the scientific evidence have concluded that pricing policies are a highly effective measure to reduce alcohol related harm.
Having enacted the Public Health Alcohol Act, five years after the process had begun, we anticipated that the legislation would be implemented, in full. Sadly, for the thousands of people who have lost their lives since then, government has chosen not to implement the key measures.
This week we have again had the prospect that MUP will be commenced, with Ministers Donnelly and Feighan at the Department of Health, courageously leading on this initiative.
There have been a number of attempts to introduce MUP. However, on each occasion, choices have been made to protect commercial interests ahead of the greater public good.
This time we urge all those faced with approving this action to finally choose better public health outcomes.
Yours
PROF. FRANK MURRAY
Chair
PROF. MARY HORGAN
President
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
DR SHEILA GILHEANY
CEO
Alcohol Action Ireland
DR INA KELLY
President
Irish Medical Organisation
DR TRIONA MCCARTHY
Director of Public Health
National Cancer Control Programme
PROF JOHN RYAN
Consultant Hepatologist, Beaumont Hospital
DR STEPHEN STEWART
Director Mater Misericordiae Liver Centre
DR ORLA CROSBIE
Consultant Hepatologist
PROF JOE BARRY
Adjunct Professor of Public Health Medicine, TCD
DR BOBBY SMYTH
Consultant child & adolescent psychiatrist
SUZANNE CONNOLLY
CEO
Barnardos
TIM COLLINS
CEO
Irish Heart Foundation
SENATOR FRANCES BLACK
JOHN & ANNE HIGGINS
RACHEL MORROGH
Director Advocacy & External Affairs
Irish Cancer Society
ETAIN KETT
Public Affairs & Communications Manager
Dental Health Foundation
MARY CUNNINGHAM
CEO
National Youth Council of Ireland
CLARE AUSTICK
Vice President for Welfare
Union of Students in Ireland
FIONA COYLE
CEO
Mental Health Reform
EUGENE MONAHAN
Chair
EHAI
TANYA WARD
Chief Executive
Children’s Rights Alliance
MARTIN ROGAN
CEO
Mental Health Ireland
TINA LEONARD
Head of Advocacy & Public Affairs
The Alzheimer Society of Ireland
JOHN CHURCH
CEO
Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC)
DONNA PRICE
Chair
Irish Road Victims’ Association
DR HUGH GALLAGHER
GP Coordinator, HSE Addiction Service
DR SIOBHAN JENNINGS
Specialist in Public Health Medicine.
JOHN BENNETT
Finglas Cabra Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force
KAY O’SHAUGHNESSY
Hillgrove Outreach Project Blackpool & Farranree
JACQUELINE DALY
Cork Community Action on Alcohol Network
ROLANDE ANDERSON
Addiction Counsellor
CATHERINE KEANE
COLIN FOWLER
Director of Operations,
Men’s Health Forum in Ireland
KIERAN DOHERTY
CEO
Alcohol Forum
RONAN DILLION
Chair,
Association for Health Promotion Ireland
DAVID BLACKHOUSE
Deputy National Secretary
YMCA Ireland
DAVID LANE
Drug and Alcohol Services Coordinator
Cork Kerry Community Healthcare
COLETTE KELLEHER
Chair
Cork Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force.
GEMMA O’LEARY SHORTT
Cork Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force
MELLA MAGEE
CODAAP Cork