O’Neill and Little-Pengelly urged to act on alcohol price limits as deaths rise

By Claudia Savage (Press Association)

Northern Ireland should introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) to tackle alcohol-related deaths, the First Minister and deputy First Minister have been told.

More than 60 health bodies and charities have collectively written to Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly to urge them to deliver “life-saving policies to help turn the tide on alcohol harm”.

The number of deaths caused by alcohol in Northern Ireland has risen by 81% in a decade, from 219 in 2014 to 397 in 2024, according to figures from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).

The letter from the Alcohol Health Alliance to the leaders of the Executive expressed “deep concerns” about the rise in deaths.

“We hope these troubling figures will prompt renewed focus on addressing alcohol-related harm, which continues to affect far too many families and communities across Northern Ireland,” it says.

In Scotland, where MUP was introduced in 2018, there were 1,185 alcohol-specific deaths registered in 2024 – a 7% decrease on the year before and the lowest annual total since 2019.

The Alcohol Health Alliance says Northern Ireland’s alcohols deaths “have overtaken both Scotland and the North East of England”. Twenty years ago Northern Ireland’s death rates were half those of Scotland.

“There is a strong and growing body of evidence showing that population-level alcohol policies can reduce harm, save lives and narrow health inequalities,” the letter said.

“Central to these policies is the issue of alcohol affordability. Simply put, cheap alcohol increases consumption which increases harm from alcohol in its many forms.

“Among the potential price mechanisms to reduce harm, minimum unit pricing, which sets a floor price per unit of alcohol, is the measure which best links price regulation to alcohol content, is best targeted on cheap off-sales alcohol consumed by the heaviest drinkers at most risk of harm, and best achieves the reduction of health inequalities.”

The bodies also highlighted that price controls should be used alongside other measures such as licensing controls, maintaining alcohol duty rates and increasing public information through product labelling and other actions.

They also stressed the importance of providing “effective help and support for those with alcohol problems, particularly following the implementation of MUP”.

“We hope that Northern Ireland will deliver these life-saving policies to help turn the tide on alcohol harm, and the AHA stands ready to support your Government in any way we can, to help you to make meaningful progress on reducing alcohol harms and preventable deaths in Northern Ireland,” the letter added.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has repeatedly stressed his commitment to MUP and has warned that time is running out to implement the policy before the end of this assembly mandate.

He has also claimed he is experiencing a “blockage” caused by colleagues in the Executive.

The letter included signatories from the Royal College of Psychiatrists in NI, Cancer Research UK, the British Medical Association Northern Ireland Council and the Association of Directors of Public Health.

A spokesperson from the Department of Health said in a statement: “Drinking above the safe limits can have a negative impact on people’s physical and mental health and alcohol misuse costs Northern Ireland up to £900 million every year, with over 7,000 alcohol-related hospital admissions, 60% of those from the heaviest drinking 3% of the population.

“Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) for alcohol is an evidence based targeted policy which if introduced could be a key mechanism to reduce alcohol-related harm in Northern Ireland and address the health inequalities that exist in this area.

“In Scotland, the introduction of MUP led to a 3% reduction in alcohol sales, saw larger reductions in drinking among heavier drinkers, and led to an estimated 13% drop in deaths wholly attributable to alcohol, preventing approximately 120 deaths each year.”

 First Minister Michelle O'Neill MLA (right), and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly MLA, following the third East-West Council meeting (Liam McBurney/PA Wire)