Professor Joe Barry:

There is huge detail in this. My understanding is it will be on packages. A pint in a pub is different. We want to get the public aware in a way currently it is not because of the alcohol by volume. How much alcohol are we consuming? It sounds like a no-brainer that we should have that information. In fairness it was agreed by the industry as well under social partnership eight years ago, but it has not happened. We are just moving along leisurely. At least the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, has put a Bill on the table and we welcome that. It will help in reducing harm. While everyone says they do not want harm, some of us, more than others, want less harm. The minimum unit pricing is being challenged in the EU courts which does not imply that people see this in the same light.

Advertising works. I have been at meetings over recent years where I have argued with advertisers. I have been saying that advertising works and they have been trying to disagree with me. It works and any human being who says they are not influenced by advertising is fooling themselves because most of it is subliminal. We will not go near social media and yet that is where the real education is. That is where young people are getting their information. That cannot be regulated. It is huge, and pop-ups can be done and so on. The marketing spend by some companies in the industry is 20% on social media.

That is because this is the future and the area in which young people are engaged. This issue has to be addressed also because it counters what students receive under the social, personal and health education programme.

Senator Colm Burke referred to the Young Scientist competition. Of course, parents are the primary educators, but in some situations there is a trend for them to be their children's friends. They are meant to be their parents, not their friends, and there is a difference.

We are disappointed that the opportunity has not been taken to deal with the issue of sports sponsorship. One committee member asked about the money being pumped into sports by the alcohol industry. We do not know what the figure is. I was part of the groups which dealt with the matter and during the years have come to know many of those involved on the alcohol side. For commercial reasons they do not say how much is being spent. Therefore, we do not actually know what the loss to sports organisations would be.

The national substance misuse strategy had rather modest aspirations. It was published in 2012. The idea was that it would be phased out from 2016 and no more by 2020; in other words, there is plenty of time for alternatives to be considered. Surely, if the country is on the up, there are other companies, apart from those involved in the alcohol industry, that could support sports.