Minimum Unit Pricing could save lives and reduce alcohol harm in Northern Ireland. Amid growing concern over the region’s high levels of alcohol-related illnesses and deaths, leading academics, clinicians, and addiction experts from across the UK and Ireland have met in Parliament Buildings to discuss how minimum unit pricing (MUP) could reduce levels of alcohol harm in Northern Ireland.

The event, organised by the Institute of Public Health, an organisation which works to improve health equity and reduce health inequalities across the island, was attended by MLAs, officials from government departments and statutory agencies, clinicians and representatives from wider civil society. Already implemented in Scotland, Wales and Ireland, MUP sets a minimum price for alcohol to be sold at per unit, with the aim of reducing the availability of cheap alcohol. Rates of alcohol harm are markedly higher among those who drink and are also living in poverty. MUP is estimated to have the largest impact on alcohol consumption and health of the poorest drinkers, leading to a reduction in existing health inequalities. At the event, figures presented by NISRA showed that in 2022, Northern Ireland recorded 356 alcohol-specific deaths, the second-highest rate in the UK. Alcohol-related harms extend beyond individuals, impacting families, communities, and workplaces, while placing immense pressure on health services.