Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak to the Bill which was first introduced in the Seanad by the Taoiseach when he was Minister for Health in 2015. While I often disagree with him and the Minister on many aspects of health, I warmly support the Bill. I have received many emails during the years from constituents urging me to support such legislation. If passed, it will be positive for the country.

There has been some misinformation circulated and intense lobbying by the alcohol industry on the provisions of the Bill. I have been contacted by constituents who enjoy a drink at home, as many do, and have expressed concern that the cost of alcohol will rise for them. In reality, however, there will be very little change for those of us who enjoy alcohol moderately and responsibly. The general thrust of the Bill is to curb binge drinking and delay access to alcohol by children and young people.

We know from the website of Alcohol Ireland that the rate of consumption of alcohol in the State rose from approximately 4.9 litres per person aged 15 years and over in 1960 to 14.3 litres per person aged 15 years and over in 2001. There was a slight decrease in the following years, but the rate still stands at around 11.6 litres per person per year. Our target is to reduce that figure significantly. It is estimated that three deaths per day are alcohol related. The World Health Organization states alcohol is a factor in over 200 conditions, diseases and injuries, including heart disease and cancer. Some 1,050 deaths per year, or 88 per month, are due to alcohol. One quarter of the deaths of young men aged between 15 and 19 years are due to alcohol. It is also an element in half of suicides and approximately 30% of incidents of self-harm. There are alcohol-related cancers. I welcome provisions included in the Bill to allow this sobering health information to be displayed at the point of sale.

The issues of labelling and segregation have arisen. To a large extent, the Minister has addressed the segregation issue. We are all familiar with small shops throughout the country, including the west.

On labelling, we have reached the stage where we expect to find fairly good information, nutritional and otherwise, on all products we consume. Perhaps it might be the same for alcohol.

The Minister already knows of my interest in and work on the issue of road safety. Drink-driving is one of the major causes of death and serious injuries on the roads. The Road Safety Authority has estimated that alcohol has been a factor in around two fifths of fatal road traffic collisions. I argue that this is an underestimation as replies to parliamentary questions in recent years have shown that testing for alcohol is not always carried out at the scenes of collisions.

The harmful effect of alcohol is not only felt by the person drinking but also by his or her family, friends and society at large. We have had this problem during the centuries. Behind us in the Chamber is a statue of one of our great predecessors, Thomas Davis. When he and members of Young Ireland, men and women, were writing in the newspaper The Nationin the 1830s and 1840s, alcohol abuse was a very severe problem. It was the time of Fr. Mathew and the Temperance movement. Society is, of course, changing and one of the biggest social changes in the past decade has been the development of coffee shops which have changed the social atmosphere. In general, therefore, I support the Bill.

We will be able to see how the concept of minimum pricing works in Scotland when it is introduced in May.

The Scots have a very similar relationship to the Irish with alcohol. We are sister nations with very deep associations. Many of the effects and costs of alcohol related harm are mirrored in the two countries. The Scottish Bill was long delayed following the legal challenge by the Scotch Whisky Association, but the Supreme Court ruled that European law had not been breached and that such legislation was constitutional.

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