Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----sponsorship of any description carries with it an inherent association with marketing and advertising. That is why, as I said in response to other questions, the Government will regulate this very clearly.

There is a massive amount of evidence available - a compelling body of evidence, I might say, a Cheann Comhairle - that where young people are exposed to alcohol marketing, whether it be on television, in public places or in the cinema, this encourages access to alcohol and, as a consequence, abuse for those who are vulnerable, particularly for those who have started to drink or who are likely to start to drink. It impacts more in terms of low-cost alcohol being freely available at very low prices. The Government has made a decision to act really decisively in this area so that many hundreds of festivals around the country can still be sponsored, but the marketing and the advertising associated with those festivals will not and cannot be focused on young people to create a perception that the use of drink, such as is involved, allows them to do all things in an extraordinary way. That is where the regulation will apply and that is where every Deputy can have a say at the pre-scrutiny stage when it comes back here.

As I said to Deputy Creighton in the beginning, while it might be easy to assume that companies will take up the opportunity to sponsor, it does not always happen. As I said, the Irish cricket team is in India and the Irish Open has been sponsored by the taxpayer for the last number of years. If particular companies wish to get involved in sponsorship, then that is their right.

This is a genuine attempt by the Government to deal with something that is a scourge to many families and that results in the use of up to 2,000 beds per night in public hospitals because of drink-related consequences for those who are unfortunate enough to get locked into that.

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