Government plans to discourage the sale of cheap alcohol in supermarkets and off-licences are expected to come into force before the summer.
The Sunday Independent reports that new measures are on the way to increase the price of low-cost wine, beer and spirits.
A law that would impose a basement price on alcohol was approved in 2018 but has not yet been commenced. The law sought to reduce alcohol-related deaths, and the measures are getting a stronger backing now in light of Covid-19, due to the risks that increased drinking poses to transmission and recovery.
The Irish government had been waiting to introduce minimum unit pricing alongside Northern Ireland, but a deferral by NI Health Minister Robin Swann led to Frank Feighan, the junior minister for public health, to recommend moving forward with plans in the Republic.
A minimum unit pricing (MUP) on alcohol would see the price of a 440ml can of lager set at €1.32 and a bottle of chardonnay wine set at €7.75.