Media

Alcohol Action Ireland, the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, today (Thursday 15th April) notes the publication by the Health Research Board of its ‘HRB Overview, Series 11: Alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harm and alcohol policy in Ireland’. This publication provides a clear and timely view of Ireland’s continuing troubled engagement with alcohol use, the scale of the harm endured and the immeasurable cost to our economy and society of lost creativity, enterprise and human potential. For over 12 years... Full Story

Alcohol Action, the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, today (Monday 15th March) supports the Minister of State, Frank Feighan’s intervention to break the logjam on implementing minimum pricing for alcohol products (MUP), as reported on thetimes.ie   For some time it has become apparent that Ireland could no longer wait on simultaneous action on MUP from Northern Ireland. Now Ireland’s progress towards implementing MUP, coupled with MUP operational in Scotland and Wales’ will hopefully be a catalyst to... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland, the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, has today (Wednesday, 10 March), expressed its disappointment on the data released by Revenue: provisional alcohol clearances and receipts 2020.   This data indicates that Ireland’s alcohol consumption during the national COVID pandemic crisis, when most licenced premises were closed, has fallen by a little over 6% to 10.07 litres per capita. This is a reduction on the 2019 alcohol consumption figure of 10.78 litres per capita. Net Alcohol... Full Story

Joint statement from Alcohol Action Ireland | Alcohol Forum   In Ireland, while we continue to advocate for crucial legislative measures to reduce alcohol use and children’s exposure to alcohol marketing to be implemented, we are concerned that our schools-based alcohol education has become the target ground for the corporate interests of industry players. Across our education system there is a creeping acceptance of a corporate curriculum that facilitates commercial interests to develop and distribute curricular materials. This practice, evident... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland, the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, has today (Monday, 1 March), criticised the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, for his cavalier deferral of minimum unit pricing (as reported by Sunday Times, 28 Feb). Minimum unit pricing for alcohol products is a crucial measure within the Public Health Alcohol Act, enacted over two year ago, which ensures that alcohol products, sold in the off-trade, cannot be sold beneath a certain price. This proven price measure to... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland, the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm today (Wed 3rd Feb), welcomed the publication by the EU Commission of its ‘Beating Cancer’ strategy. This bold and innovative step signals real intent by the Commission to drive meaningful preventative strategies across the Union. In identify that ‘prevention is more effective than any cure’ the strategy outlines a priority of reducing harmful alcohol use.  Alcohol-related harm is a major public health concern in the EU and accounts for... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland, the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, today (Monday, 18th January) noted the publication of the Child Care Law Reporting Project latest report, which documents 48 recent cases of child neglect. The Child Care Law Reporting Project examines and reports on judicial child care proceedings. This research demonstrates the scale of the challenges many children face during the course of the ongoing pandemic crisis. Parental problem alcohol use continues to feature as a source of trauma for... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland - the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, today (Friday, 8thJanuary) welcomes the legal commencement of Section 23 of the Public Health Alcohol Act. From Monday, 11thJanuary these regulations will apply to some promotions that incentivise alcohol use.  The introduction of these regulations is part of a process to de-normalise alcohol as an ordinary grocery product; last November saw the legal commencement of separation of alcohol products in specified licensed premises.  The application of these regulations... Full Story

Reflecting on the latest round of trade data on off-trade alcohol sales, Alcohol Action - the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, today (Thursday, 16th Dec) urged everyone who drinks to re-think the harm persistent use of alcohol has on their health and the impact so much alcohol in our homes has on our children’s lives. The latest round of trade data indicates a continuing surge in off-trade alcohol sales, with Kantar indicating a 33% increase, year-on-year, in alcohol... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland, the national independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, today (12th November) hosts a seminar titled ‘No Ordinary Product’ to mark the provisions of Section 22 of the Public Health Alcohol Act, 2018 coming into effect from 12th November 2020. The measures, now applying to the retail landscape, come after a two-year transition period had been extended to retailers to comply. Under the new law, which will be monitored by the HSE Environmental Health Officers, mixed trade retailers can store alcohol products in a... Full Story