Minimum pricing overdue says hospitality chief

Speaking as the Scottish government introduced MUP after a lengthy debate, Colin Neill welcomed the move and called for similar legislation for the province.

“It is a move which we have been calling for here in Northern Ireland and it is long overdue that it should be introduced here.

With research indicating that 44% of the alcohol in Northern Ireland is consumed by 6% of the population, he said there was clearly an issue of heavy drinking that neede to be addressed.

“It should be remembered that the misuse of alcohol costs the NI Health Service around £900 million a year.

“It is completely unsatisfactory that the Northern Ireland Executive is still not functioning. It is now almost a year-and-a-half since the Assembly sat and it is having an impact on business.

Stating that alcohol should not be used as a commodity to drive supermarket sales, Mr Neill said the move was unlikely to promote drinking in licensed premises.

“Hospitality Ulster’s support of MUP is not about driving footfall to the on-trade. MUP is about encouraging responsible drinking and Hospitality Ulster is behind that.’’