In September, IPH hosted an event at Parliament Buildings, Belfast on ‘Reducing Alcohol Harms in Northern Ireland: The potential of Minimum Unit Pricing’. The event 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 the sale of alcohol per unit, with the aim of reducing the availability of cheap alcohol.

Key discussion points from the MUP event include:

• MUP should be considered as one of a portfolio of cost-effective alcohol policy options.
• An assessment should be made of the appropriate rate of MUP to have the most cost-effective impact.
• In order to maintain the policy’s effectiveness, there should be an automatic mechanism to review the rate of MUP, linked to inflation rates.
• There should be a rigorous and transparent evaluation process to understand the impact of implementation of MUP.
• A levy on alcohol producers and retailers should be considered, which could be directed into evidence-based public health measures to reduce harms due to alcohol consumption and to support recovery.
• Public health messaging should be carefully designed, highlighting evidence, to gain and maintain public support for MUP, as well as to counter opposition to the measure.
• Alongside MUP, there should be consideration of broader public health campaigns to raise awareness of alcohol harms.

Click here to access the event video [1.46 hours]