Here's the least your can of beer or bottle of wine could cost under new legislation
A can of beer will cost a minimum of €1.95 under new legislation announced today.
Health minister Leo Varadkar has published laws which set a minimum price for each unit of alcohol.
A bottle of wine will cost around €8.60, while a bottle of supermarket own brand vodka could more than double in price from €13 to €28.
The Bill sets out a minimum unit price of 10c per gram of alcohol in alcohol products in order to eliminate very cheap alcohol from all stores and shops.
Minister Varadkar says that the legislation will be life-saving and reduce admissions to Accident and Emergency departments.
Mr Varadkar said: "It will result in reduced attendances at our emergency departments at the weekends, it will reduce the instances of cancer. It will reduce obesity, liver disease and gastrintestinal disease.
"It will result in fewer suicides, fewer assaults, fewer sexual assaults, less child neglect, reduced road traffic collissions and reduced absenteeism from work."
The main points of the new legislation are:
* Minimum Unit Pricing to tackle cheap alcohol set at 10c/gram of alcohol
* Strict separation of alcohol products in outlets
* Compulsory health labelling on drinks requiring grams, calorie count, health warnings and a link to a public health website on alcohol containers
* Requirement to display health warnings and a link to a public health website and to provide access to information on grams and calories in pubs and off-licences
* Ads to be strictly informative about the product concerned & subject to criminal sanction
* Ban on advertising near schools, playgrounds and public transport
* 9pm broadcasting watershed for alcohol adverts
* Prohibition of price-based promotions and general restrictions on promotions
