Vol. 361 No. 12
asked the Minister for Health, in view of the fact that there were 7,189 admissions to psychiatric hospitals in 1982 for alcoholic abuse and alcoholic psychosis, the steps he proposes to take to encourage moderation in the concumption of alcoholic drink.
34.
asked the Minister for Health, in view of the ever-increasing problem of alcoholism and drug abuse, if he will outline his plans to make people aware of both hazards.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 34 together. The Health Education Bureau are continuing to carry out programmes designed to alert and educate people to the hazards of alcoholism and drug abuse. The bureau's activities in relation to alcohol education are carried out as part of their general substance abuse programmes and it is their intention to continue and intensify the activities in the future. The bureau will continue their promotion of an alcohol education pack named "Living and Choosing" for use in post-primary schools and they will co-operate with the Irish National Council on Alcoholism in promoting responsible drinking habits amongst the general public. It is also intended that the bureau will continue their programme of providing information to the general population on alcohol-related issues through a lecture service made available through a joint arrangement with health boards.
In relation to drug abuse, the Deputy will be aware that the special governmental task force on drug abuse underlined the potential of education as a means of prevention. The task force believed that the provision of suitable education services would ensure the maintenance of a high level of public awareness of the drug problem in the community. Arising from the task force's recommendations many activities have been undertaken in the education area, in particular teacher training and programme development focused on at-risk urban areas. I have funded a diploma course in addiction studies in Trinity College for the past few years. This course provides specialised training for workers in direct contact with drug abusers and their families. Such workers include social workers, nurses, gardaí and teachers.
The Health Education Bureau have designed programmes aimed specifically at heightening public awareness of the real and immediate dangers of drug abuse. The bureau have been involved with health boards and other agencies in training doctors, pharmacists and teachers as drug educators. The Health Education Bureau have also co-operated with the curriculum development unit of the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee and Trinity College in producing an information booklet called "Understanding Drugs" written at a suitable reading level for adults who are not particularly good readers.
The Council of Europe's European Health Committee are sponsoring a pilot project in the Dún Laoghaire area which involves detailed education at a number of different levels—at school level, at the level of parents and of the community.
I might also mention that I have made money available to the Community Action on Drugs, National Federation, to enable them to expand and develop their current activities in the area of drugs education. It will be seen from this that considerable progress has been achieved in implementing the task force's recommendations in the area of prevention.
In view of the fact that in the Report of the Joint Committee on Marriage Breakdown it is stated that it is widely felt that alcoholism is a major contributory factor to the breakdown of marriage in Ireland, does the Minister feel that the work of the bureau, in encouraging moderation, is making any progress, particularly as the bureau has been in operation for quite some time?
I increased substantially the budget of the bureau in 1985 — there was an almost 40 per cent increase — and more resources are being devoted to this area. We have to do a great deal more work. I agree with the Deputy that alcohol is a potent reason for marital conflict and indeed breakdown. The fact that the price of drink has not been increased for all practical purposes over the past three years might have something to do with it as well——
The Minister's Government brought it down.
——but that is not within my domain. I do not wish to comment on that beyond making it as a general observation. But I am gravely concerned — it may be a matter of old age — about the alarming volume of drink being consumed particularly by young people, indeed by young married people, under the age of 25. There is not a pub in sight now where the prevalance of exceptional consumption is not evident.
Has the Minister or the bureau any plans to bring some kind of balance into the over-glamorisation of advertisements for alcoholic drink particularly on television?
I must confess that the only country I visited where there was total prohibition was China and I think they were right.
Does the Minister recommend that system?
I would totally prohibit advertising relating to dangerous substances and indeed drink is dangerous.
The Minister did not think of staying there?
Advertising of alcohol should be prohibited and that should apply to radio, television and national newspapers. But I have no doubt the first to object would be many Opposition Deputies.
I am not suggesting that advertising should be banned but that a balance should be struck.
Unfortunately there is no balance on this issue: you either go the whole hog or you do nothing at all. The pressure on me from the Deputy's constituency in relation to tobacco advertising, from his own area, has been enormous, incessant, not to do what we are doing. But when I see so many young people in our psychiatric hospitals, so many of our young people suffering from occupational absenteeism; when I see the Department of Social Welfare paying out tens of millions of pounds in disability benefit, where it is clearly related to alcoholism, or alcoholic-related claims, then I think we should take action on it. But I shall conclude by saying there is great opposition to that in the country.
