To ask the Minister of Health to detail any research his Department has carried out into the effects of minimum alcohol pricing on public health.

My Department previously commissioned a report from the University of Sheffield which concluded that a Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol would be effective in reducing alcohol consumption, alcohol-related harms (including alcohol-related deaths, hospitalisations, crimes and workplace absences) and the costs associated with those harms. This report is available in full on the DoH website at:https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/dhssps/alcohol-and-drug-mup-ni-report-from-university-of-sheffield.pdf

Once finalised, NI’s forthcoming new Substance Use Strategy will contain my commitment to have a full consultation on MUP within the next year. This consultation will examine a range of possible options in respect of alcohol pricing, including consideration of the emerging evidence of the effectiveness of MUP following its implementation in Scotland and elsewhere. Any policy considerations arising from the consultation will be brought to the Executive in due course.