The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill was approved by Government yesterday and will be published shortly.
The Bill includes provision for:
- minimum unit pricing to tackle cheap alcohol set at 10c/gram of alcohol;
- strict separation of alcohol products in retail outlets;
- compulsory health labelling on drinks requiring grams, calorie count, health warnings and a link to a public health website on alcohol containers;
- a requirement to display health warnings and a link to a public health website and to provide access to information on grams and calories in pubs and off-licences;
- advertisements to be strictly informative about the product concerned and subject to criminal sanction;
- a ban on advertising near schools, playgrounds and public transport;
- a 9pm broadcasting watershed for alcohol adverts;
- a prohibition of price-based promotions and general restrictions on promotions, and
- an enforcement regime with inspections by authorised HSE officers and penalties for non-compliance, including fixed payment notices.