Sir, – For seven years, we in the Alcohol Health Alliance Ireland of healthcare professionals, NGOs and public health advocates have sought to encourage a constructive new direction in public alcohol policy. Our commitment was to ensure that Ireland’s chronic problematic use of alcohol was addressed as a public health crisis.
Crucially, we believe, informed by international best policy evidence, that adequate control and regulation had to be established in order to curb the demand for alcohol. This will ensure that less alcohol is purchased with consequent reduction in alcohol harms. This would be particularly helpful to those who caused themselves, and others, the most harm through persistent binge and heavy drinking.
The public health objectives of reducing the high rate of alcohol related deaths and lessening the alcohol harm were paramount. Today, three people will die directly because of alcohol and seven indirectly in Ireland. Over the past 40 years the mortality rate from alcohol-related liver disease has increased 400 per cent .
Central to this public health approach was the need to address the universal availability of cheap strong alcohol in every community throughout Ireland. This damaging situation has been sustained by a hyper-competition amongst retailers and fuelled by the commercial practices of the alcohol producers.
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The solution to ending this alcohol fuelled epidemic of harms and death is the implementation of minimum pricing for alcohol products - a policy approach recommended by the World Health Organisation, whereby a floor price is introduced below which a fixed volume of alcohol cannot be sold to the public.
Minimum-unit pricing increases the price of only the cheapest alcohol. Numerous reviews of the scientific evidence have concluded that pricing policies are a highly effective measure to reduce alcohol related harm.
Having enacted the Public Health Alcohol Act, five years after the process had begun, we anticipated that the legislation would be implemented, in full. Sadly, for the thousands of people who have lost their lives since then, Government has chosen not to implement the key measures.
This week we have again had the prospect that minimum-unit pricing will be commenced, with Minister for Health Donnelly and Minister of State for Public Health Frank Feighan courageously leading on this initiative.
There have been a number of attempts to introduce minimum-unit pricing. However, on each occasion, choices have been made to protect commercial interests ahead of the greater public good.
However, on each occasion, choices have been made to protect commercial interests ahead of the greater public good.
This time we urge all those faced with approving this action to finally choose better public health outcomes. – Yours, etc,
Prof FRANK MURRAY,
Chairman,
Alcohol Health
Alliance Ireland;
Prof MARY HORGAN,
President,
Royal College
of Physicians of Ireland;
DR SHEILA GILHEANY,
Chief Executive Officer,
Alcohol Action Ireland;
DR INA KELLY,
President,
Irish Medical Organisation;
Dr TRIONA McCARTHY,
Director of Public Health,
National Cancer
Control Programme;
ProF JOHN RYAN,
Consultant Hepatologist,
Beaumont Hospital,
DR STEPHEN STEWART
Director Mater Misericordiae Liver Centre;
DR ORLA CROSBIE
Consultant Hepatologist;
PROF JOE BARRY
Adjunct Professor of Public Health Medicine, TCD;
DR BOBBY SMYTH
Consultant child & adolescent psychiatrist;
SUZANNE CONNOLLY
CEO
Barnardos;
TIM COLLINS
CEO
Irish Heart Foundation;
Senator FRANCES BLACK;
JOHN & ANNE HIGGINS
RACHEL MORROGH
Director Advocacy & External Affairs
Irish Cancer Society;
ETAIN KETT
Public Affairs & Communications Manager
Dental Health Foundation;
MARY CUNNINGHAM
CEO
National Youth Council of Ireland;
FIONA COYLE
CEO
Mental Health Reform ;
TANYA WARD
Chief Executive
Children’s Rights Alliance;
MARTIN ROGAN
CEO
Mental Health Ireland;
TINA LEONARD
Head of Advocacy & Public Affairs
The Alzheimer Society of Ireland;
JOHN CHURCH
CEO
Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC);
DONNA PRICE
Chair
Irish Road Victims’ Association;
DR HUGH GALLAGHER
GP Coordinator, HSE Addiction Service;
DR SIOBHAN JENNINGS
Specialist in Public Health Medicine;
JOHN BENNETT
Finglas Cabra Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force;
KAY O’SHAUGHNESSY
Hillgrove Outreach Project Blackpool & Farranree;
JACQUELINE DALY
Cork Community Action on Alcohol Network;
ROLANDE ANDERSON
Addiction Counsellor;
CATHERINE KEANE
COLIN FOWLER
Director of Operations,
Men’s Health Forum in Ireland;
KIERAN DOHERTY
CEO
Alcohol Forum;
RONAN DILLION
Chair,
Association for Health Promotion Ireland;
DAVID BLACKHOUSE
Deputy National Secretary
YMCA Ireland;
DAVID LANE
Drug and Alcohol Services Coordinator
Cork Kerry Community Healthcare;
COLETTE KELLEHER
Chair
Cork Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force;
GEMMA O’LEARY SHORTT
Cork Local Drug & Alcohol Task Force;
MELLA MAGEE
CODAAP Cork.