Media

UK’s post Brexit ‘Internal Market Bill’ may limit Northern Ireland’s capacity to introduce Minimum pricing for alcohol products.   Alcohol Action Ireland, the independent advocate for reducing alcohol harm, has today (Thursday 17thSeptember) published its Pre-Budget submission in which it advises the Minister for Finance not to provide a stimulus to even greater alcohol consumption. Central to its submission, Alcohol Action, advises the Minister on three specific matters: The retention of existing excise duties on alcohol products and the introduction... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland are deeply saddened to learn, today (9th April) of the passing of our former colleague and friend, Norah Gibbons. Norah made a vital contribution to the development of our organisation over the course of many years, serving both as a Director and our Chair between 2005 and 2013. Her outstanding contribution to Irish public life, her passion to tackle inequality and her commitment to improving the lives of so many will be long remembered.  

Alcohol Action Ireland (AAI) welcomes the publication of the Health Behaviour in School Aged Children Study (HBSC) 2018 today (Thursday 9 Jan), which provides a very valuable insight into the number of children who, all too early, initiate their experience with alcohol. AAI are pleased to see that there has been a modest increase in the number of school aged children who have never drank alcohol, across all social classes.   Deeper analysis of the data on children who have... Full Story

This evening, Seanad Éireann, in a historic development, agreed the amended Public Health Alcohol Bill, passed by Dáil Éireann last week. The Bill will now go to the President, Michael D Higgins, for signing and enactment. This is the first time in our history that Ireland’s problem alcohol misuse and its harmful impact on our families, communities and workplace will be addressed coherently in public health legislation. The principal objective of the measures passed is to reduce our overall alcohol... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland today (Tuesday 9th October) welcomed the decision by Mr Paschal Donohue, Minister for Finance, to retain the current rates of excise duty on alcohol products. This is the fifth year in a row that Excise duty has remained untouched in Budget calculations. The low inflation and modest wage growth in our economy suggests a modest increase could well have been sustained by the consumers of alcohol in a growing economy. Commenting on the Budget, Eunan McKinney, Head... Full Story

Alcohol Action Ireland has formally submitted its consideration on amended aspects of Ireland's Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, currently being considered by the EU Commission as part of a TRIS notification process. The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill had been re-notified to the Commission earlier this year, having been amended, and passed, by Seanad Eireann in December 2017. Three additional specifications to labelling, advertising and broadcast watershed were presented. Having received some Comment and Detailed Opinions from Member States in the first... Full Story

New research report highlights an untold story:   the extraordinary burden on others from Ireland’s harmful use of alcohol.    ·         One in two people have been bothered and harassed, felt afraid and unsafe from strangers’ drinking. ·         Two in five people are stressed and threatened, and have experienced familial difficulties, in a blend of psychological and tangible harms, from drinkers they know.  ·         Children, so often the silent voice, are negatively affected from someone else’s drinking and experience specific harms including verbally abuse and witness to serious violence in their homes.  ·         For one in seven workers, alcohol is making a significant factor in their workplace, where extra work hours and days lost impacted on... Full Story