273. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Health to outline the unit within her Department that is responsible for alcohol policy outside of the enforcement of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40010/25]

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor, Minister of State at the Department of Health: Alcohol affects your body and brain, increases many health risks and can damage your mental health. The misuse of alcohol and harmful patterns of drinking not only include negative effects on the health of those drinking too much, but also cause harm to families and society as a whole.

The situation regarding alcohol use and harm and relevant policy responses, in particular the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, are documented in the 2024 HRB report Alcohol: availability, affordability, related harm, and policy in Ireland. The report details the cross-cutting nature of alcohol issues, ranging from availability and affordability, alcohol-related harm, mental health, crime, gambling, premature mortality and treatment.

The Department of Health response to alcohol is set out in two main documents: the Healthy Ireland Alcohol policy (www.gov.ie/en/healthy-ireland/policy-information/healthy-ireland-alcohol-policy/), which is based on the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, and the national drugs strategy, Reducing Harm, Supporting Recovery 2017-2025 (www.gov.ie/en/department-of-health/publications/reducing-harm-supporting-recovery-2017-2025/), a health-led response to drug and alcohol use.

According to the HRB report, the most important development in alcohol policy in recent years has been the enactment of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018. The legislation, based on the WHO’s ‘best-buy’ recommendations, sees alcohol as a public health issue and is world-leading in addressing alcohol use at a population level.

The Public Health Alcohol Act 2018 (www.oireachtas.ie/en/bills/bill/2015/120/), which was signed into law on 17 October 2018, seeks to address the negative impacts of consumption on public health grounds. It is part of a suite of measures designed to reduce alcohol consumption and limit the damage to the nation’s health, society and economy. The unit responsible for the Public Health Alcohol Act is Tobacco and Alcohol Control.

The vision of the national drugs strategy is to create a healthier and safer Ireland, where public health and safety is protected and the harms caused to individuals, families and communities by substance misuse are reduced and every person affected by substance use is empowered to improve their health and wellbeing and quality of life. It identifies five strategic goals:

• promote and protect health and well-being.
• minimise the harms caused by the use and misuse of substances and promote rehabilitation and recovery.
• address the harms of drug markets and reduce access to drugs for harmful use.
• support participation of individuals, families and communities.
• develop sound and comprehensive evidence-informed policies and actions.

Among the priorities in the strategic action plan 2023-2024 are:

• to enhance access to and delivery of drug and alcohol services in the community.
• to develop harm reduction and integrated care pathways for high-risk drug users.
• to strengthen the prevention of drug and alcohol use and the associated harms among children and young people.

In 2023, 8,163 cases were treated for problem alcohol use, an increase of 10.0% when compared with 2022 and the highest total cases treated for problem alcohol use reported in over a decade (8,609 cases). The median age at which cases first started drinking alcohol was 16 years. Three in five (61.0%) cases were classified as alcohol dependent. Among cases seeking treatment for alcohol use for the first time, the majority (57.4%) were classified as alcohol dependent. More than six in ten (65.3%) previously treated cases were classified as alcohol dependent. Three in five (61.0%) cases were treated in outpatient facilities and one in three cases were treated in residential settings (33.6%). Much smaller proportions were treated in low threshold settings (3.7%) and prison (1.7%).

Polydrug use (problem use of more than one substance) was reported by almost one quarter (24.9%) of cases. Cocaine (64.5%) was the most common additional drug used alongside alcohol, followed by cannabis (47.1%), benzodiazepines (20.6%), and opioids (12.7%). The prevalence of polydrug use highlights the importance of an integrated response to problem drug and alcohol use.

The HRB in conjunction with the Department of Health has published a map identifying over 450 drug and alcohol treatment services. I will shortly be announcing significant investment in integrated community alcohol treatments services to ensure full geographic coverage across all health regions

The Department funds five drug prevention projects under the national drugs strategy. This includes Building SAFER Communities through Evidenced Based Environmental Prevention at a Community Level, led by the Alcohol Forum Ireland. The project uses the World Health Organisation SAFER measures to provide practical interventions at community level to reduce alcohol related harm. These include:

• strengthen restrictions on alcohol availability.
• advancing and enforcing drink driving measures.
• facilitate access to screening, treatment and brief intervention.
• enforce bans or comprehensive restrictions on alcohol advertising, sponsorship and promotion.
• raise prices on alcohol through excise tax and pricing policies.

The unit responsible for the national drugs strategy is Drugs Policy, Refugee and Inclusion Health.

I hope that this clarifies for the Deputy the multifaceted response to alcohol, covering policy, legislation, services and prevention, under my remit as Minister of State for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy in the Department of Health.