The price of a pint or a small one is set to rise by 5p in the next few weeks. This follows a Government decision to lift price controls on alcoholic drinks. Early yesterday Guinness announced a 2p per pint price increase and by the afternoon the Vintners Federation of Ireland was saying that it would have to pass on the increase to its customers.
This was despite the freezing of drink prices outside Dublin last March following a row between publicans and the then minister of state, Mr Pat Rabbitte. Mr Rabbitte had accused them of seeking to make unjustified price rises.
While the statutory price restraint did not apply to Dublin, there was a de facto freeze on Dublin drink prices.
The Government decision was announced late yesterday afternoon, after Guinness had announced its price rise.
"In order to maintain price stability in the drinks trade, I have been engaged in recent weeks in intensive discussions with the industry," said the Minister of State for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs, Mr Tom Kitt.
"I have insisted that, in the event of the Prices Order being revoked, the industry should keep price increases to the absolute minimum in the interests of the consumer and consistent with the Government's clear objective of low inflation."
Price control will end next Wednesday but the Minister warned that he would re-impose it if rises above those agreed.