Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

With regard to beer consumption among young people, France is starting from a much lower base than us. Beer consumption in Italy has increased in a country that has nothing like the advertising seen in this country. It does not change the fact that we have a far more serious problem. I agree that damaging sport would be problematic because sport is far more of a social benefit than people realise. The Minister of State talks about evidence. If the alcohol industry thought that spending €30 million would not get young people to consume more alcohol, it would not spend it.

These guys make business decisions, not health decisions. Given that alcohol and tobacco abuse and obesity are costing the State in the region of €5.5 billion, will the Minister of State agree that it would make sense for the Government to replace that €30 million in sports sponsorship? I do not mean that sports organisations should do without the money, but where is the joined-up thinking? It costs the Government €5.5 billion to deal with the abuse of alcohol and tobacco. It is, therefore, a no-brainer that it should spend more on sport. Drink companies would not be spending this money on advertising if it was not profitable for them to do so.

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