Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentation. I will be upfront. I think there should be a total ban on alcohol advertising in sport or any other area. I listened to the arguments in recent weeks and what I heard from the medical profession in particular last week hammered home for me that we cannot continue with alcohol sponsorship. The witnesses outlined the benefits but it does not add up when one takes the cost into account.

I am concerned that people representing sporting organisations sound like they are part of the drinks industry. It is important that the Federation of Irish Sport clear up the situation. If an alternative funding stream is found I hope the sporting organisations would be delighted to move away from the alcohol industry. The issue of concern is funding and it should not be the case that the organisations are so dependent on the funding they receive that they have to justify advertising alcohol, which according to the medical profession is a bad thing. I am a little bemused as to why anyone would think that the medical profession has an ulterior motive. The medical profession has only one motive, namely, people’s health. It presented us with the facts. It has no vested interest in anything other than health.

Does alcohol advertising bring so much to Irish sport that we cannot do without it? I accept it provides approximately €35 million in sponsorship. Could the €1 million that is put into horse racing not be replaced with another source of funding? If I am correct, it was mentioned that €2 billion was paid in taxes by the alcohol industry. We are making a loss then because alcohol abuse costs €3.4 billion. The industry might well contribute €2 billion in taxes but it takes €3.4 billion out. We must find an alternative source of funding given that the medical experts have proven that it is a negative thing to have alcohol advertising and the sporting organisations require funding. We could consider an increase in taxation on alcohol. We have been told that the drinks industry pay €2 billion in tax. If we increase that by 2.5% it will pay an extra €50 million. If we give that to sports in whatever way the Government wants to divvy it out one will have filled the gap.