Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

That is even more interesting. In any case, I think what the alcohol industry has done here is to use the Seanad debate to water down the proposals concerning the separation of alcohol from other products in shops in order that it not be sold alongside the cornflakes. As we know, 37% of wine sales are impulse buys. The idea of separation was a very positive idea but the alcohol industry has watered it down very significantly and now it is moving on to the next stage in trying to gut this Bill, focusing its energies on the issue of the health warnings. We support the health warnings. It is a fact that every year in Ireland 900 people are diagnosed with, and 500 people die of, alcohol-related cancers. That is what the alcohol industry is trying to water down. Health warnings have been effective against smoking; they will be effective against alcohol abuse.

There are some issues around minimum unit pricing we might like to tease out on Committee Stage. There is a need to change the culture surrounding alcohol in this country. The health impact of alcohol is overwhelming. It can best be tackled by cultural change and increased awareness of the negative health effects of alcohol misuse. In general, we do not think that increasing prices on inelastic goods is the most effective way to reduce consumption and alcohol misuse. While we do not believe that increases in the price of alcohol or other drugs even such as tobacco is a way to resolve misuse, we are still without doubt very supportive of this Bill and will vote for it. However, we want to engage in some further debate on the issue of minimum pricing.

Time is kicking in, so I will be very quick to conclude. We think the proposals regarding advertising and children are positive but that in general they do not go far enough. There should not be links between sports and advertising; in fact, there should be a ban on alcohol advertising. I will restate my starting position. In this debate there are, on the one hand, the health professionals and, on the other, a multi-billion-euro industry, which wants to put its profits above the health of people.

This is progressive legislation. If anything, it does not go far enough. There are some issues with minimum pricing we want to debate at the next Stage, but our stance on the Bill is a very supportive one.

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