The introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol products and a ban on advertising such products near schools and playgrounds are just two of the measures contained in new legislation aimed at tacking Ireland's ‘ongoing problem with alcohol misuse'.

The details are contained in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, which has been approved by the Government. Speaking at the launch of the Bill, the Minister for Health, Leo Varadkar, insisted that Ireland needs to change ‘its damaging attitude to alcohol'.

"The evidence about Ireland's drinking habits is shocking. Four out of 10 drinkers typically engage in binge drinking. There's a huge difference between having a drink on occasion with friends, and indulging in regular binge drinking.

"The costs are huge, from the damage to personal health and to society, absenteeism, the burden placed on the health services, public disorder and violence, traffic accidents, and the associated mental health consequences," he commented.

The Bill includes a number of measures, including:

-A minimum unit price of 10c per gram of alcohol. This is aimed at stopping the sale of very cheap alcohol. As part of this, a bottle of wine will cost a minimum of around €8.60, while a can of beer will be almost €2
-The strict separation of alcohol products in outlets to ensure that they are not sold like normal grocery products
-The prohibition of price-based promotions and tougher restrictions on targeted promotions, such as ‘happy hours'
-Compulsory health labeling on alcohol products, to include calories and health warnings
-A ban on advertising near schools, playgrounds and public transport
-A 9pm broadcasting watershed for advertisements.

"This Bill addresses alcohol as a public health issue for the first time by tackling price, availability, marketing, advertising and labelling. By taking this approach and confronting the problem in a wide range of ways, I am confident that we can make a huge difference to public health. We have talked about these measures for long enough. Now is the time to make it happen," Minister Varadkar said.

The legislation is expected to come into effect in mid-2016 and will be reviewed in three years.