Eugene Regan (Fine Gael)

I will mention a subject covered in this morning's The Irish Times, that is, a report on the 2009 summer scientific meeting of the Faculty of Public Health Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. It points out that alcohol has been blamed for 6,500 deaths in Ireland in the past five years and more than 3 million hospitalisations. We all know that Ireland has one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption. Therefore, the percentage of deaths caused by alcohol is much higher. The paper delivered at the seminar pointed out that the cost of hospital bed days attributable to alcohol was horrendous.

We can do something about this. The Intoxicating Liquor Act, which the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform rushed through this House last summer, dealt with certain restrictions on the supply side of alcohol, but we must consider the demand side. There is no question that advertising plays a critical role in contributing to the problem, particularly in the case of young people. Studies have shown that the professional advertising of alcohol has a strong appeal for young people who see it as stylish, humorous and promoting a desirable lifestyle, with the suggestion being that alcohol helps to improve confidence and social skills. We should consider a total ban on alcohol advertising. That is the one instrument left to us in attempting to deal with this problem in a serious way. Voluntary codes have not worked.

We have played politics with the issue for long enough. The current system is not working, given the costs in terms of hospital care and the dreadful impact on young people. There are strong links with crime, public order offences in particular, and children losing their way in the education process.