Ms Marie Lawless:

I thank the committee for the opportunity to represent the voices of communities here today. The Irish Community Action on Alcohol Network, ICAAN, was formed with support from Alcohol Forum Ireland back in 2017 to advance community action on alcohol.

It comprises members of local and regional drug and alcohol task forces.

ICAAN is represented on a number of national policymaking forums and is a founder member of the World Assembly for Community Action on Alcohol. ICAAN has been active on alcohol licensing, training, advocacy and policy since 2017, when we organised a national round-table discussion. We have developed a community guide to alcohol licensing, developed, with the Atlantic Technological University, Ireland's only specialised certificate in alcohol licensing law, advocated for consolidation of the licensing code and campaigned for greater regulation of the fast-growing area of drink delivery services. We have been afforded legal expertise in this work through the Bar of Ireland's voluntary assistance scheme.

ICAAN welcomed the announcement by the Government that it was finally proposing to consolidate alcohol licensing legislation and the announcement by the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, that hearing from communities would be an important part of the debate. We also welcomed the Department's indication that one of the objectives of the general scheme of the sale of alcohol Bill would be to reduce alcohol-related harm, especially among young people. However, we do not believe the proposed Bill will achieve that objective. In November, we commissioned a RED C poll, the findings of which highlighted significant concerns regarding these proposals. The poll found that 51% of respondents agreed that extending the hours at which alcohol can be sold will have a negative impact on public health, safety and order. The poll also found that 59% agreed there needs to be a wider public consultation to ensure the public understands what the changes will mean and, furthermore, 74% of respondents agreed that any proposed extension to the sale of alcohol should be accompanied by plans to put in place and fund the additional services needed to cover the additional consumption hours. In addition, 65% agreed there should be stronger regulations in place for alcohol delivery services and 63% are concerned that unregulated online and over-the-phone sales of alcohol are facilitating underage drinking.

ICAAN fully supports the case made today by our colleagues from the Institute of Public Health in Ireland and Alcohol Action Ireland for a retention of the extinguishment requirement and of the current closing hours for both on-licence premises and nightclubs. The evidence is clear that deregulation and extending hours will increase harm. We invite committee members to consider our key recommendations in regard to the general scheme. First, we need a clear definition of "drink deliveries", with the introduction of a new category of licence, robust age verification requirements, specified hours for both sale and delivery and limits on volume of alcohol sold per customer, per night. Second, there must be mandatory training, delivered independently of the alcohol industry, in responsible practices for servers of and traders in alcohol. This should apply to all those involved in the supply, sale and delivery of alcohol, including delivery drivers and others. Third, we call for inclusion of a child protection objective within the current licensing legislation that will outline clear regulations in respect of the presence of children under 18 years of age on licensed premises with parents or guardians and unaccompanied minors attending events on licensed premises, even when alcohol is not being sold. I thank members for their time and welcome any questions they may have on these matters.