Ireland is set to welcome a major law change in a matter of days as the New Year approaches.
From January 4, a Minimum Unit Pricing system will come into force nationwide for all sellers of alcohol.
This new scheme means that alcoholic drinks must be sold for at least the minimum price set for the quantity of alcohol the drink contains.
The minimum price of alcoholic drinks will be set at 10c per gram of alcohol.
This is not the first time the government has moved to change laws around its sale in Ireland, and earlier this year made some stark changes to how accessible it is in store.
It is now against the law to reduce the price of alcohol at specific times of the day. This means that ‘happy hours’ are against the law in Ireland.
Other drinks promotions and special offers are illegal including:
- Loyalty card programmes that reward customers for buying alcohol
- Promotions that allow for alcoholic drinks to be sold at a reduced price or given away for free when bought alongside other products
- Short term price promotions where the price of an alcoholic drink is reduced for a period of less than 3 days
Meanwhile, just days ago the Minister for State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan, announced a €2 million fund to enhance community-based drug and alcohol services.
The fund is part of the strategic priority to enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community in the national drugs strategy 2021-2025.
Speaking about the announcement, he said: “We are seeing new drug and alcohol needs emerge, whether in the night-time economy, among young people, in disadvantaged communities or polydrug use.
“The funding will be allocated on a three-year cycle, with ongoing monitoring and evaluation, to ensure that services are effective in addressing the needs of people who use drugs and alcohol.”
