Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Mattie McGrath.

The Bill places huge and unnecessary restrictions on alcohol advertising and sponsorship. The proposals set limits on how alcohol may be portrayed in advertisements. However, it could be detrimental to the sponsorship of events such as the Guinness Pro14 by alcohol companies. Where are we going with this? Why are we in here week after week condemning the drinks industry and debating Bills on road traffic and alcohol? Are we going to turn an event such as the Heineken Cup into the Ribena Cup or the "White Lemonade" Cup? Will the Bulmers Comedy Festival have to be renamed the "Still Water" Festival because we cannot talk about alcohol any more? Such events that have drawn tens of thousands of people to Ireland and created huge revenue for the State could now be in jeopardy.

The provision of the Bill with which I most disagree provides for the strict labelling of alcohol bottles and cans and will lead to the separation of alcohol products within retail outlets. It will be an unnecessary cost for retailers. Where are we going to stop? We are treating the Irish people like fools, as if they will see a drink advertisement and then run and buy that drink. Most people can make up their own minds. Excessive drinking will always be a problem, which is regrettable, but the Bill goes too far.

Before I was elected to the House, I was involved in a community and voluntary forum and, through that, was on a joint policing committee. One will always try to stop young children drinking alcohol. I have three young children and I would not like them to drink to excess. I brought forward a proposal at the joint policing committee on the labelling of alcohol bought in off-licences. Often, an 18, 19 or 20 year old buys the alcohol but a 13 or 14 year old consumes it and is then drunk on the street afterwards. The proposal I put forward - to which nobody wanted to listen at the time - was that the bottle or can would be labelled such that the purchaser could be identified, there could be a comeback in respect of that person and we would find out to whom the alcohol was given. In my town of Schull, Tidy Towns groups go out during the summer collecting bottles and cans on the mornings after young people having been ferociously drunk with no control over them. The Bill is looking at advertising instead of going into the detail of trying to sort this out.

On labelling and cancer warnings, I cannot understand where we are going. Most products we eat could contribute to cancer in some way. Should we label cans of Coke, sweets or chocolates because they could cause cancer or may be dangerous? It is important to note that no other country has introduced mandatory cancer warnings on alcohol products. My fear is that the introduction of cancer warnings on Irish products would lead to a stigma regarding those products and give a clear advantage to foreign competitors not required to use such labels such as, for example, producers of Scotch whisky. That would have a very damaging impact on small distilleries and breweries that are bringing new products to the market. It is also worth considering whether introducing labels warning about the dangers of cancer would solve the problem of harmful or underage drinking and balancing that against the harm it would do to indigenous Irish industry. It would, perhaps, be more beneficial for the Department of Education and Skills to roll out an effective education campaign to inform people about recommended drinking guidelines rather than put a cancer warning that is unlikely to work on a bottle. The Bill does not appear to provide for an exemption for products sold at airports. That needs to be reconsidered.

While I have many worries about the Bill and take issue with many of its provisions, some parts are to be recommended. In recent months, the Government has been attacking the drinks trade in any way it can, which will lead to tens of thousands of job losses across the country. Why does the House not spend time talking about drugs and the prevention of their importation? The issue of drugs has not been raised in the House. Why are we afraid to mention it? It is a far more serious issue than alcohol in this country and we are avoiding it.

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