Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the witnesses. I will focus on three issues: price, availability and promotion. It is interesting to hear divergence in opinion on minimum unit pricing. I will read up more about it and take these views into consideration. We heard compelling evidence from Dr. John Holmes of the University of Sheffield, to whom some of the witnesses referred. Perhaps the committee could put supplementary questions that have arisen today to him in order that he can give his perspective to members. His evidence was compelling but I would also like to consider what today's witnesses have said. Mr. Mac Mathúna said the minimum unit pricing issue is before the European courts, but that is because the drinks industry is taking an action against the EU and, therefore, that will not stop me on the issue.

I have raised in the Seanad on several occasions the issue of structural separation of products because I strongly believe in this. I do not understand why the Government has not moved to commence this section of the legislation. I have a difficulty with putting the voluntary code on a statutory basis because legislation is in place. It is a first in my experience for a Minister to have a choice provided for in legislation rather than having to make the choice before the legislation goes through the Oireachtas. However, even with that provision, I do not understand why section 9 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008 has not been enacted. The committee should take this into consideration when we discuss our feedback to the Minister.

I come to the issue of the promotion of alcohol wearing my children's rights hat.

I can understand that people will say that alcohol is not being marketed at children, but the evidence in the reports I am reading is that regardless of whether it is intentional, the fact is it is being marketed at children. All the evidence that I in research clearly concurs with that point of view. Dr. Patrick Kenny and Mr. James Doorley, deputy director of the National Youth Council, who appeared before the committee on Tuesday, concur with that point.

The effect of sponsorship of sport by the alcohol industry, in particular the effect on children and young people, has been raised at the committee on a number of occasions. We need to discuss how the committee can feed back this information. I do not understand why we do not set a date and agree when the industry's sponsorship of sport should cease. We all know the cessation of the link of alcohol to sports sponsorship will come in the future. We need to look at that issue.

There is an issue with marketing and I have a difficulty with the code of practice. Again, we heard that drinks industry advertising is limited at a bus stop, but we are all aware of the advertisement at successive bus stops. Anyone driving or taking the bus will see the effects of advertising. I see its effect on my young passengers whom I bring to school each morning. In terms of the advertisements they see, having the advertisement appear at a succession of bus stops has an impact. Another example is audience profiling. One of the issues Mr. James Doorley raised on Tuesday is that if 1 million people watched a rugby match, approximately 250,000 could be under 18 years, so it will have an effect. That is an issue for me.

I have a question on the role of education. This was mentioned in the course of the presentations by the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland and Alcohol Action Ireland. We are getting conflicting messages on education. Certainly the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland supports the initiative of an education programme by DrinkAware in schools. The HSE has been very involved recently with the revision of the social, personal and health education programme in schools. Certainly I understand from the DrinkAware Trust in the United Kingdom that its experience is not what it has been purported to be in our reports. Certainly the National Youth Council of Ireland says that education has a role, but it is not education that stops us speeding or changes behaviour. I do not pick up my mobile phone in my car now. I probably swear once a day about the current Minister for Health, who was the previous Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport who introduced legislation on the use of mobile phones in the car. I knew it was wrong to use the phone. I need the legislation to ensure I will not use my mobile phone when driving. That is the reality, when I look at other areas, such as speeding and so on. I would like to tease that point out further. These are the questions I would like discussed.