Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like other speakers, I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Bill. It is also welcome that the Minister for Health is present for this engagement.

Like my colleagues, I support the Bill and many of the measures contained in it. Being conscious of the time, I will not speak about issues raised by other speakers. There are three or four areas on which I would like to focus.

I am supportive of the minimum pricing proposal. It is a positive move in that it will deal with the abuse of alcohol by young people and those who under age, in particular. We need to do all we can to ensure they cannot access alcohol by creative and innovative means, including with the assistance of older people, which is wrong and often leads to abuse and anti-social behaviour and domestic problems. The introduction of minimum pricing will, I hope, reduce the access of young people to alcohol which they can currently buy for a small amount of money, which is a huge problem in several areas, including my constituency. We may also need to consider making it an offence for an adult to purchase alcohol for a person who is under age. I have witnessed young people give money to adults to buy slabs of beer for them in an off-licence or a shop. They then abuse the alcohol, which is a problem. It might be worth considering making it an offence either in this Bill or in future legislation for adults to purchase alcohol for persons who are under age. We need to send the message that the purchase of alcohol by persons who are under age is not permissible. It should not be possible for them to access it by being creative, innovative or smart or by getting an older person to buy it for them, which causes a lot of social problems. When the minimum pricing provisions come into force, they will impact positively on businesses that provide employment and operate in a proper way. They will have a positive impact all round.

The proposals related to separation and the segregation of alcohol also need to be re-examined. I understand amendments will be brought forward on Committee Stage. I accept that alcohol products needs to be separated from other products, but what is being proposed is drastic and a step too far. The financial burden on the SME sector in doing what is proposed will be negative. While alcohol products should be separated from other products, we need to engage with SMEs on how it can be done in the least cumbersome way possible.

The proposals on labelling are also an issue. While all labelling needs to draw attention to the negatives, the increased requirements in the labelling of alcohol are a concern. I understand the European Union is working on guidelines in this area; perhaps, therefore, we should wait to see what it will propose and then compare it with what is being proposed here. A label which carries references to cancer is alarmist. There are lots of things we do every day in moderation. A lot of people drink in moderation and only a minority abuse alcohol. We must be mindful, therefore, of how we draw attention to the fact that over-indulgence in different things can cause sickness and ill-health, including the consumption of alcohol. While there is a level of labelling that is necessary, we must be measured in our approach in how it is designed and put in place such that it will not impact negatively on what we are trying to achieve and will not be out of kilter with what is brought forward by the European Union. Given we are pro-European Union and implement many laws and regulations driven by it. Perhaps, therefore, we should wait and see what it will propose on labelling, into which we can then tie what is being proposed here.

The abuse of alcohol is a huge issue in families and for individuals. It causes lots of social issues and domestic problems. That said, the abuse of anything causes problems and difficulties and impacts negatively on families. In regulating to reduce the level of abuse and improve people's health and circumstances we must do so in a way that will not impact negatively on those who do not abuse. We must be careful that we do not over-regulate for the minority such that we will spoil it for those who indulge in and enjoy alcohol in a responsible way. While alcohol is being abused, there are many who enjoy it in a responsible way. They do not over-indulge and are measured in what they do. We must be careful not to send a message to people outside Ireland that will label us negatively. There is lots to see and do in Ireland. We are a people who are open to engaging with others and can enjoy ourselves in a responsible way without over-indulging in or abusing alcohol. We have to balance this with what we are trying to achieve in this legislation. Therefore, we need to step back from and review some of the measures proposed in the areas about which I have spoken. We need to examine how we can achieve what we want to achieve in a way that will not be overly excessive, as in what is being proposed.

As stated by other speakers, including on the Government side, breweries create huge numbers of jobs. That feeds in positively to the local, regional and national economies. We cannot always be driven and governed by lobbyists and the creation of employment.

I ask that, as part of a balanced approach with a view to having a balanced outcome, we be mindful of the positive contribution these businesses make to the economy by creating local jobs.

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