766. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration for an update on the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2022; and the expected timeline for its progression and enactment. [74126/26]

Jim O'Callaghan, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: The Programme for Government commits to updating our licensing laws. The Autumn Legislative Programme, published on 16 September, sets out the 32 Bills that have been prioritised for publication, and a further 32 Bills that have been prioritised for drafting in the current Dáil session.

Other legislative projects, including work on updating liquor legislation, will be taken forward in subsequent iterations of the legislative programme, to be determined by Government in due course.

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Dáil Éireann debate. Question 1094 – Alcohol pricing [74125/26]

1094. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health whether the Alcohol Act Technical Evaluation Group, AATEG, has examined linking minimum unit pricing for alcohol to inflation; and is there consideration to the introduction of meaningful changes to the current pricing structure. [74125/26]

1095. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health when the final report of the Alcohol Act Technical Evaluation Group, AATEG, will be published; and the key recommendations arising from its work. [74124/26]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Minister for Health: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1094 and 1095 together.

In November 2024, the Alcohol Act Technical Evaluation Group (AATEG) was established to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, including MUP. The Group submitted an interim report earlier this year which is being considered for publication and will submit its final report in 2027.

The rate at which the minimum unit price is set is considered on an ongoing basis as provided for in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act. It is worth noting that the recent increase to the level of MUP in Wales, and the earlier increase in Scotland, brought these on to a similar level to the current Irish rate.