Rory O'Hanlon
Question:8 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for Health when he intends to implement the national alcohol policy; the current status of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16597/96]
Céisteanna—Questions. Oral Questions. - National Alcohol Policy.
Trevor Sargent
Question:25 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health the period which he will allow for the sale of alcoholic lemonade drinks to be controlled on a voluntary basis before bringing in regulations to combat the growth in underage drinking. [16957/96]
Trevor Sargent
Question:32 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health if he will further limit the freedom which tobacco and alcohol companies enjoy to publicise their products by associating them with sporting events in particular. [16998/96]
(Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 25 and 32 together.
The House will be aware that I announced last Thursday that the Government has finalised the national alcohol policy. The policy will be available as a full policy report and also in executive summary form. Both documents are being printed and will be in general circulation shortly.
I am arranging that each Member of the Oireachtas will receive a copy of both documents as soon as they are available.
As regards control of the sale of alcoholic lemonades, the policy does not contain specific recommendations concerning the sale of such drinks. I have indicated however, on the basis of expressed public concern about the issue, that I intend to discuss the matter with promoters and the industry. My intention is to explore with my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise and Employment, and the relevant organisations the potential for managing the promotion, packaging and sale of alcoholic fruit drinks so that they are not attracting underage drinkers. The national alcohol policy cites research evidence from the World Health Organisation which confirms that advertising has a small but contributory impact on drinking behaviour. The impact of alcohol advertising on pre-drinkers was shown to influence belief and intentions to drink as adults. I believe that the Irish drinks industry is willing to play its part in protecting underage drinkers and I would like to have discussions with them at an early date on the range of strategies which might be appropriate. The national alcohol policy refers to the role of the non-statutory sector in encouraging moderate use of alcohol and such a joint approach between public and private agencies is the way forward at present.
The national alcohol policy specifically draws attention to the code of ethics and good practice for children's sport in Ireland. It deals with issues around adults working with children and young people up to the age of 18 years in Irish sport. This code was recently published by the Minister of State at the Department of Education with responsibility for sport, Deputy Bernard Allen. A section on substance abuse outlines good practices in relation to alcohol use by sport leaders and coaches, alcohol free under age functions and sponsorship. With regard to sponsorship, the code recommends that "sports leaders in children's sport should refrain from seeking sponsorship from the alcohol and tobacco industries".
The national alcohol policy highlights the lack of controls over sponsorship of sporting and cultural activities. A voluntary code exists with regard to regulating the nature and administration of marketing techniques. The Advertising Association of Ireland, together with the Chamber of Commerce, have developed guidelines for sponsorship agreements but no specific guidelines on alcohol sponsorship are defined for the non-broadcasting media. The view expressed in the policy is that a firm but workable voluntary code of practice should be established with the alcohol industry. I will monitor the response by industry and other key organisations to the policy's proposal.
I am confident that the alcohol industry and the other organisations concerned will, in the light of the publication of the national alcohol policy, look closely at the issues surrounding sponsorship and promotion.
The position of tobacco is quite different. Sponsorship expenditure by tobacco companies in Ireland is controlled by law. Since 1986, tobacco companies have not been allowed to increase their sponsorship spending in real terms, and in 1996 I imposed a cut of 5 per cent in the allowable budgets.
The negotiations were carried out by the Minister of State, Deputy O'Shea, who has this responsibility as part of his portfolio. I thank him for his very effective work in this area. Further cuts in future years will be considered.
Would the Minister support the introduction of a complete ban on advertising which glamourises alcohol?
(Limerick East): We are one of the few countries in Europe that has succeeded in getting agreement at Government level for an alcohol policy. It is part of the policy of the World Health Organisation that countries should produce alcohol policies. What is in the document is the Government's current thinking on the position. It does not contain recommendations for a complete ban on alcohol advertising. Consequently, it is not the policy of the Government to advocate such a course of action. Any attempt to dramatically change practice in Ireland where alcohol is so central to social and economic life would have little chance of success. Anything which would move us down the prohibition road would be more likely to create resistance than to get the co-operation of the people involved. While I would continue to stress that the abuse of alcohol is a serious health issue, getting Irish people to practise more moderate drinking rather than excessive drinking is the way to proceed. Cahills are publishing the document. My note indicates I will have the documents produced in a proper form on Friday, that is tomorrow, and I will have both the full document and the executive summary circulated to Deputies as quickly as possible. It would be appropriate that one of the committees of the House would take up the issue because the document contains a significant amount of research. It is a much fuller document than was communicated by way of some of the high profile issues which were the subject of controversy in the media.
As prevention is better than cure, is it the Minister's intention to introduce an alcohol policy to schools setting out that it is a dangerous drug and that we should treat it with respect?
(Limerick East): The approach in the national alcohol policy is multi-sectoral. It ranges from the Department of Health to the Department of Education and across the industry. I regret the printed document was not available to Deputies in advance of questions today. A series of initiatives have been agreed in Government which will involve health promotion and lifestyle education in the schools along the lines suggested by the Deputy.