The measures were approved yesterday.

New rules around minimum pricing for alcohol in Ireland have been approved for January 2022. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly took the plan to Cabinet members yesterday, seeking to approve the introduction of minimum prices per unit of alcohol in retailers across the country. The measures, which have since been approved, will ban the sale of cheap alcohol ensuring a minimum price for cans, bottles of wine, and other drinks that could traditionally be bought in shops for a low cost. The new rules will come in effect on January 1, 2022, and will set a minimum price per gram of alcohol at 10c, which means a can of beer will cost at least €1.32 and a bottle of white wine (Chardonnay) will cost at least €7.75. Some retailers have expressed concern that consumers will simply travel to Northern Ireland to avail of cheaper alcohol prices, where similar measures are not yet being introduced. According to Drinkaware, when such legislation was introduced in Scotland the country saw the reduction of alcohol spending in lower income households by 9.5g per adult per week. "It is intended that minimum unit pricing, when enacted alongside other interventions such as those in the Public Health Alcohol Act 2018 as well as comprehensive education and awareness programmes, will reduce alcohol-related harm in Ireland," they said. "Our mission is to prevent and reduce the misuse of alcohol, and Drinkaware supports public health initiatives that will assist in achieving this important mission."