Head of Northlands Centre welcomes Republic’s move on alcohol pricing

THE Strabane man in charge of a Derry treatment centre says the Irish government was right to push ahead with the introduction of minimum unit pricing on alcohol.

Under the new measures, which came into effect on Tuesday, a standard bottle of wine cannot be sold for less than €7.40 (£6.40) and a can of beer for less than €1.70 (£1.40).

Spirits with 40 per-cent alcohol content cannot be sold for less than €20.70 (£17.30) and a 700ml bottle of whiskey for less than €22 (£18.40).

The step is intended to reduce binge drinking and to drive down what Health Minister Stephen Donnelly described as “serious illness and death from alcohol consumption”.

Some retailers have expressed concerns though that the move could prompt a cross-border surge to buy alcohol in the North where no such minimum unit pricing exists.

The North’s Health Minister Robin Swann confirmed this week that consultation on a similar move is being developed and that it is likely to issue early in 2022.

But head of treatment at the Northlands Centre, Tommy Canning, said this week he believes the Republic’s government was right to push ahead on its own.

“I don’t think they have jumped the gun because how long have they been waiting already for Stormont to get its ducks lined up and get this in place to align the two jurisdictions,” Mr Canning asked.

“In an ideal world I think the right and best thing would have been for both to move at the same time but I imagine there has been a waiting game already.

“This has been running for a long time in our executive in the North and now the Irish government has gone ahead.

“We are being told that a public consultation will go out in the North around minimum unit pricing this year but how long will that take and then how long before we get a decision? And how long could the Irish government be expected to wait given the amount of harm caused by alcohol consumption?”

In May 2018 Scotland became the first country in the world to bring in minimum unit pricing for alcohol. It was set at 50p per unit.

According to a survey carried out in the immediate months after the introduction there was a 7.6 per-cent decrease in the amount of alcohol purchased in Scotland every week.

But some commentators have branded the move as a ‘tax on the poor’.

Tommy Canning said minimum unit pricing was not designed to be a resolution to alcoholism but more as a way of getting people to understand harmful drinking and the knock-on impact it has on the health system, the criminal justice sector and on absenteeism and productivity at work.

“One thing it has shown to achieve is a considerable reduction in binge drinking among young people,” he explained.

“That is a huge issue and anything that addresses it should be seen as a positive.”

Increasing the price of alcohol will not be a “panacea” but rather a single measure on the road to getting society to assess its overall relationship with drinking, Mr Canning added.

“It’s not a silver bullet but just one part of other measures that need to be taken and furthered to redress the culture that exists in terms of our relationship with alcohol.”

By Conor Sharkey