Dr. Sheila Gilheany:

The Government has invested about €42 million in the alcohol industry over the past decade by means of grants and investments through NTMA in the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund. There needs to be a framework for the whole of government on how it interacts with industries that make unhealthy products. For example, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, through the NTMA, has a policy of not investing in the tobacco industry or the fossil fuel industries, which came about from a 2018 Act. However, it invests in alcohol. That is because there is nothing to say not to do it. This is where it comes back to needing a framework.

Another example of where I see unhealthy industries inserting themselves and becoming the solution to the problem is the Food Vision 2030 policy, which is all about sustainable food and how it can be better. It was about food but it had three representatives from the alcohol industry, including the chair of Diageo in Ireland. That tells you how important it regarded making sure it was included in this. It is then effectively seen as being in a partnership with the Government but it is not a food; it is alcohol. In some of the recommendations, there was stuff about labelling and it said labelling is great and all very well but let us make sure it does not interfere with our commercial practices. I was attuned to that because we are very aware of labelling issues around alcohol. Somehow, this industry was considered important enough to be invited to be part of the group that put together that policy. We have to start looking at why we invite an unhealthy industry to make policy across government. It needs to be looked at in every shape and form, for example with regard to investment and grants. Enterprise Ireland gave a grant of €7.5 million to Diageo to construct a new sustainable plant to make its products. Alcohol is a barrier to 14 of the sustainable development goals. Why on earth would our Government give any sort of investment to so-called sustainable alcohol? These are the sorts of questions we need to ask. There is a need for a proper framework.