A move to stop supermarkets from discounting the price of alcohol through the use of loyalty points has been described as “modest” by Alcohol Action Ireland.
However, CEO Sheila Gilheany said she believes there is pressure from the alcohol industry to limit the progression of legislation that passed in 2018.
The latest measure, announced yesterday by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill and passed using powers under the Public Health Alcohol Act, will not come into effect until March 2028.
Ms Gilheany described it as a modest move to try and redress some of the harm caused by alcohol.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, she said price of alcohol in supermarkets today is roughly the same as it was 20 years ago, adding that cheap alcohol is a significant driver of alcohol harm.
“We know that the ubiquitous supply of very cheap alcohol right across Ireland is a driver, a significant driver of alcohol harm.
“We only have to look at some of the statistics about that: four people dying every day, literally about 1,500 people in hospital today, many, many thousands more affected by it. The affordability of alcohol is a driver of that harm,” Ms Gilheany said.
There were regulations under the Act that particularly tried to break the link with club points, she said, and this is an extension of that.
She also said she was disappointed that warning labels have not been put on alcohol products yet.
It was due to come into effect this year, she said, but has been pushed back until September 2028.
“That was a very disappointing move and came at the behest of the alcohol industry, which really shows you the power of this industry to delay and to divert attention away from how dangerous their product actually is.”
She said there was also no date for the implementation of another part of the act, which would control the content of alcohol advertisments.
She added that excise duties, which have not been increased since 2014 and currently bring in €1.2 billion, should be increased in line with inflation.
€1.2 billion sounds like a lot until you look at the annual cost of alcohol to this country, which is around €14 billion euro, she said.