Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 28:

In page 20, between lines 13 and 14, to insert the following:"Prohibition of Sports Sponsorship

15. (1) Alcohol sponsorship will be phased out by 31st December 2023.

(2) In this section—

"sponsorship" means any form of public or private contribution to any sports event, sports area, association or person with the aim or direct or indirect effect of promoting an alcohol product or brand or alcohol consumption;

"sports area" means an area, whether indoors or outdoors, where participants participate in sporting activities, or competitors compete in sporting competitions, and includes a playing pitch or area, a swimming pool, an athletics track, a dog or horse racing track or a motor racing track.".

The amendment relates to alcohol sponsorship of sports organisations. There is evidence that young people are exposed to a huge volume of alcohol advertising and the reason they are is the people who are paying for it believe the advertising works. Pairing a healthy activity like sport with an unhealthy product such as alcohol is inappropriate. The earlier a person begins alcohol consumption, the more likely it is he or she will develop harmful drinking patterns. We also need to address the culture whereby alcohol consumption is closely associated with celebrating sporting success. We need to break the link between a healthy activity and an unhealthy product.

This again speaks to much of the intention of the Bill, which concerns child protection, and it is from this perspective we propose this amendment. The steering group on a national substance abuse strategy recommended that the drinks industry's sponsorship of sporting and other large public events be phased out. This is therefore not a solo run; it is based on sound evidence and research.