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Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD and Minister of State with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and National Drugs Strategy, Frank Feighan TD, today welcomed the commencement of further sections of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018. 

Section 4 of the Act will come into operation in November 2022. The purpose of this provision is to ensure that the Environmental Health Service of the HSE, the enforcement authority for the Act, will be notified in advance of applications for licences under the Intoxicating Liquor Acts and, if it wishes to do so, can appear and give evidence at court hearings on such applications.  

Section 10 of the Act, which comes into effect immediately, repeals certain sections of the Intoxicating Liquor Acts which have been replaced by sections of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act. In particular, section 9 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008 which provided for the separation of alcohol in mixed retail outlets has been replaced by section 22 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act which came into operation in November 2021. Also coming into operation immediately are the Minister’s regulation-making powers under section 12 of the Act on labelling and section 13 on advertisements. 

Minister Donnelly said: “The commencement of these provisions is further progress toward bringing all sections of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act into operation. The Act is designed to reduce the harms caused by the misuse of alcohol and to delay the initiation of alcohol consumption by our children and young people. We will continue our work on the remaining provisions in order to deliver on those objectives.” 

Minister Feighan said: “The Health Research Board reported this year that 1000 of our population die every year from alcohol related harm. The measures in the Public Health (Alcohol) Act will help to reduce those numbers. I welcome today’s commencements as further progress toward the full implementation and enforcement of this important piece of law.”  

ENDS // 

NOTES FOR EDITOR 

The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 is available here: (http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2018/act/24/enacted/en/html).