Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity afforded by the presentation of this report to address the issue of alcohol misuse and expand on the Government's plans to address this problem. I thank the members of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications for their work on the issue of sponsorship of sport by the alcohol drinks industry and their valuable contribution to the debate. I welcome the acceptance by the committee that actions must be taken to address the harm caused to individuals and broader Irish society by the misuse of alcohol. The committee was rightly cognisant of the devastating effects on communities and families of the misuse of alcohol and committee members were unanimous in their view that measures were required to be taken to deal with the problems caused by harmful alcohol consumption. They noted that the misuse of alcohol in general was increasingly being identified in the younger age cohort.

There is much common ground between the members of the committee, my Department and the Government on this pervasive problem which causes enormous harm and damage to the lives of children, families and communities. In line with the steering group's report on a national substance misuse strategy, I remain convinced that we must end the unhealthy association between sports and alcohol through sponsorship. I understand the committee's perspective in that it sees such a ban as "a worthwhile aspiration" rather than something which should be introduced as a priority. However, I respectfully maintain the view that ending sponsorship is an important element and accept Deputy John O'Mahony's contention that this is only one element of a combination of policy instruments we need to adopt if we are to make real progress in this area. I share the Deputy's regret that in much of the public debate in recent months there has been much concentration on the sponsorship aspect to the exclusion of many of the other instruments that arguably could have more of an impact on what we want to achieve than the issue of sponsorship. Nevertheless, I maintain the view that the question of sponsorship must be an important element of what we seek to do.

It is our view in the Department of Health that a close link between sport and alcohol undermines or risks undermining the very real and tangible benefits our society gains from sport. Having said that, it is understandable and perfectly legitimate that, given its remit, the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications would address this issue primarily from the perspective of sports organisations and sport. I acknowledge Deputy John O'Mahony's argument that although the committee concentrated on sports sponsorship, it did not exclude the importance of other instruments. I urge the House and the broader public to consider the issue in the round and give the highest possible priority and consideration to public health, which is my preoccupation in this debate. It is also the perspective adopted by the Government in its recent approval of the drafting of the first ever public health (alcohol) Bill in this jurisdiction.

It has been contended that there is a "lack of evidence" indicating that a ban on sponsorship would be effective in reducing alcohol consumption among young people. There are numerous peer-reviewed research reports and studies, conducted both domestically and internationally, that firmly demonstrate the effectiveness of integrated alcohol marketing communication strategies in which brand sponsorship is a key component. I am happy to make these studies and references available to colleagues at any stage. These strategies are particularly effective in the acquisition and retention of new market audiences, especially among the younger age cohort. Firm conclusions can be made from the research evidence that, for example, the age entry for first alcohol use among Irish children has fallen from 15 to 14 years old; marketing communications are highly effective in shaping attitudes, perceptions and expectancies among Irish youth; exposure to alcohol marketing increases the likelihood that teenagers will drink alcohol and that they will start drinking at an earlier age and in a more harmful manner; alcohol-branded sports sponsorship has a high recognition among young people; and exposure to alcohol marketing communications is cumulative and normalises the consumption and harmful use of alcohol.

Nobody can seriously expect to obtain, as it were, direct "cause and effect" evidence in this arena. Such a level of "proof' is simply not attainable, given that the behavioral impact of marketing communications, specifically branded sponsorship, is multilayered and quite complex. It is clear, however, that integrated marketing strategies constitute a highly developed business tactic effectively deployed by alcohol companies to retain, develop and increase product sales, especially among younger people. Sports sponsorship by alcohol brands is a key component of integrated marketing strategies. This enables alcohol marketers to reach and influence under-age future consumers in a way that advances brand relationships way beyond the traditional "above the line" channels such as television and radio.

The Government recognises the vital contribution of sports bodies in promoting and increasing participation rates in sport, which is why the three major national sports bodies receive significant public moneys through the Irish Sports Council for that specific purpose. Sports clubs encourage children and teenagers to see sporting performance and good health as incompatible with heavy alcohol consumption, as Deputy John O'Mahony mentioned. I am very strong in my praise of sports bodies and have seen some evidence in recently visiting Ennis which is in Deputy Timmy Dooley's constituency. I had the opportunity to hear about some terrific work being done by the GAA in that county - it has been a great year for Clare in hurling - as there is a genuine commitment in that county to address the issue of the harm arising from alcohol and seek to ensure alcohol abuse remains incompatible with the enjoyment of sport.

At the same time as this undoubted good work is being done, children's sporting heroes are fashioned in alcohol-branded sports gear. This is reflected in the stadiums where they play or the backdrops against which they are interviewed on television. They are emblazoned with the branding of alcohol drinks. That means that there is extremely good work being done, on the one hand, but impactful material is also seen by young people, particularly on television. One must ask about the message we intend children to receive. No less than anybody else, I appreciate the emotional attachment we all have to national, county and club sporting success, but can we reasonably say the needs of protecting public health are of lesser importance than the further professionalisation or the international successes of our sporting codes? This debate involves pitting different imperatives against one another and there is no possibility of us resolving this issue by saying we can have it every way. If we want to make decisions that will have an impact, we will have to face up to what may be difficult consequences.

Returning to the issue of evidence, IEG, one of the world's leading authorities on measuring high performance sponsorship programmes, defines effectiveness in measured returns, behavioural changes, results of emotional connections and psychological connectedness. These are applications of a highly sophisticated methodology where, globally, expenditure on sponsorship had reached $44 billion in 2009. In Ireland a specialist sports sponsorship firm, Halpin Sport, has estimated the value of the Irish market for total sports sponsorship at €96million in 2011. Equally, it confirms for its potential clients that "sports sponsorship offers the perfect platform for companies to engage and interact with a team's followers. It has the power to connect at a deep emotional level with fans and change the way they feel about products and brands". These known outcomes echo the committee's acknowledgment that the sponsorship of sports by alcohol brands is far from ideal. This recognition of an uncomfortable alliance perhaps shaped the recommendation of the committee that a fixed percentage of all sponsorship received by every organisation from the alcohol drinks industry should be ring-fenced and paid into a central fund for alcohol and substance abuse prevention programmes. This is a very interesting proposal that bears further scrutiny.

Ultimately, the Government has decided to put in place a process to deal with the differing perspectives on sports sponsorship by alcohol companies. This process will enable all views to be examined and analysed and I look forward to working with the Members of this House and the committee in this important debate and reaching positive solutions. I appreciate the case that has been made in respect of the funding gaps or difficulties that will be faced by sports organisations if a ban is imposed. As the House will be aware, the Government has approved the drafting of a public health (alcohol) Bill which details a package of measures to address this problem. This landmark initiative has come about following much consultation and dialogue between Ministers and Departments.

It is the first time the misuse of alcohol has been addressed as a public health issue. The public shares the concern of the health authorities on this issue. Research commissioned by my Department while preparing these measures showed that 78% of the public thinks that the Government has a responsibility to implement public health measures to address high alcohol consumption.

The key measure approved by the Government is the drafting of health-oriented legislation on alcohol – to be called the public health (alcohol) Bill. In summary, this Bill will provide for minimum unit pricing for retailing of alcohol products; regulation of marketing and advertising of alcohol in the media domains of television and radio, cinemas, outdoor and print as well as the content of such advertisements; regulation of sports sponsorship, specifically to place an existing voluntary code that governs sports sponsorship on a statutory footing; separation of alcohol from other products in retail outlets; enforcement powers for environmental health officers in relation to alcohol; and health labelling of alcohol products.

Minimum unit pricing for alcohol is one of the anchors of this package, and taken in conjunction with the other measures we are announcing, has the potential to have a real impact on the harmful and hazardous consumption of alcohol. Minimum unit pricing targets alcohol that is cheap relative to its strength. It is one of the instruments to be used to tackle the very low cost at which alcohol is sold in the off-trade sector – particularly in supermarkets. I said at the launch of this initiative that minimum unit pricing does not raise the price of every alcohol product; I wish to emphasise that again. The pint in the pub or the bottle of premium whiskey are already well above any price that would be set as a minimum price for their alcohol content. Almost all drinks in the pub are already sold well above any likely minimum price, so these drinks are unlikely to be affected.

What the Government wants is for everyone to feel the economic and social benefits of addressing alcohol misuse; we want our citizens to experience these benefits through healthier, happier, safer families and communities. We know that there is a profusion of alcohol products in our stores. We see the in-your-face presence that these alcohol products now hold in our supermarkets and convenience stores. In that regard, I am particularly pleased that the Departments of Justice and Equality and Health have agreed a three-step approach to provide for the structured separation of alcohol from other products in mixed trading outlets.

The first step involves replacing the current voluntary code with a statutory code under section 17 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011. This section empowers the Minister to establish a new code that sets standards for display, sale, supply, advertising, promotion and marketing of alcohol. Second, the new public health (alcohol) Bill will empower environmental health officers, EHOs, to enforce structural separation provisions contained within section 9 in the event that its commencement is required. Third, after two years both Departments will review the effectiveness of the new statutory code in achieving the separation of alcohol from other products, and control of access.

The results and findings of this review will inform the Government’s decision on whether it is necessary to proceed to commence section 9 of the Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008. The substance misuse steering group made recommendations about dealing with the advertising of alcohol and these will now be developed in our forthcoming public health (alcohol) Bill. Alcohol advertisements on television and radio will be restricted to evening hours, and my Department will work closely with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to introduce this incrementally by 2016, through the statutory codes of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Statutory codes of practice are also envisaged for the print media, cinemas and to cover the manner in which alcohol is portrayed in advertisements. The legislation will also cover billboard and other outdoor advertising media. Its purpose will be to restrict such advertising from 2018 with a statutory code of practice to govern it in the interim. We will work with other Departments on identifying the form, frequency and prevalence of outdoor media advertising that would come within the scope of the statutory restrictions.

As I said previously, but for the sake of completeness, on the question of sponsorship of sport by alcohol companies, the Government has decided that the existing voluntary code of practice governing sports sponsorship will be given statutory status. Meanwhile, a working group chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach will report within 12 months on the implications of regulating sponsorship by alcohol companies of major sporting events. New statutory provisions will also be introduced on the labelling of alcohol products. That is an important area for consumer information and will also cover warnings concerning the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy.

The Government has agreed that future public health messaging on alcohol will be based on grams of alcohol rather than a standard number of drinks and that the new low risk drinking guidelines for men and women should be 168g which is equivalent to 17 standard drinks and 112g which is equivalent to 11 standard drinks for men and women, respectively.

We know about the adverse effects of alcohol consumption on children, families and communities. It is a constant theme of public debate and comment. Meanwhile, there has been a strong public affairs campaign against a ban on sports sponsorship by alcohol companies. It is claimed, as the joint committee reported, that the link between sports sponsorship by alcohol companies and consumption of alcohol is not proven. That is somewhat perplexing for the reasons I have given, in view of the fact that there is evidence available and also the significant levels of money that are in truth committed to alcohol brand sponsorship campaigns. In any event, we now have Government approval for a process to deal with this challenging aspect of tackling alcohol misuse. I emphasise that is just one aspect of our suite of proposals. Meanwhile, we should advance the series of measures that have already been approved. The nature of the challenge we are addressing is to reduce Ireland’s overall consumption of alcohol. That requires a genuine public health response. That will happen and the landmark initiative announced by Government will gain the support of the broader community and society. In that regard and context I again commend and thank the committee and all its members for its important contribution to this debate.

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