According to the report by Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children on alcohol legislation, the labelling system must have clear health warnings on alcohol products, indicating that alcohol causes disease.
In particular, the packaging on alcohol bottles should feature details of alcohol content in grams, standard drink size, and must be related to recommended maximum weekly consumption to the public.
The committee also recommended minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol product which is likely to be between €0.60 and €1.10; ban on alcohol advertising on television before 9 pm; adopt means necessary to ban or restrict outdoor marketing of alcohol close to schools; and structural separation of alcohol products from other products in mixed retail environments.
Chairman of the Committee Jerry Buttimer says: "In general, the Committee is supportive of the proposed measures in respect of product labelling, including support for the introduction of health warnings on alcohol products.
"Based on the weight of evidence and broad support from health professionals, the Committee is also generally supportive of the proposed introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing. although the Committee did outline some concerns about implementation issues, and the potential impact of MUP on lower income households."
Other recommendations include increasing collaboration between counterparts in Northern Ireland to ensure a co-ordinated approach for the implementation of MUP policy aimed at reducing distortions in cross border trade.
The committee is also urging introduction of a social responsibility levy to fund awareness and addiction programs using the potential profit gained from the MUP as well as launch more robust regulation in the areas of advertising and marketing, including social media, with inputs from independent health professionals and experts.
"With regard to marketing and advertising regulations, the Committee supports proposals to put the regulation of alcohol advertising on a statutory basis.
"I also wish to acknowledge the co-operation and assistance of the Minister for Health and his officials in engaging with the Committee during its deliberations and particularly thank Committee Members for their ongoing assistance in pre-legislative scrutiny of a very important Bill," Buttimer noted.
