Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the presence in the Gallery of Senator Frances Black. We all know she has done fantastic work on this issue.

The point has been made that we are all aware of the damage alcohol causes, yet in the same breath people say they do not really want to take the measures necessary to do something about it. It is a little shocking to me that people need to be reminded but this Bill is called a Public Health (Alcohol) Bill. "Health" is the key word.

For the information of people who might not be aware, alcohol is classified as a group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer because there is a proven causal link between alcohol and several types of cancers. Alcohol consumption can cause cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, bowel and female breast. All of these cancers show evidence of a dose–response relationship. The risk of cancer increases steadily in line with greater volumes of alcohol consumption. When we say we are all aware of the harm that can be caused by alcohol, we need to name it and acknowledge it, and then we need to take steps to reduce it wherever we can.

In this State, the proportion of alcohol-related deaths from cancer is higher than the European average. That suggests we may need to take more measures than others in Europe or perhaps that we should not be ashamed of being able to provide a little leadership on this issue. Research has shown that alcohol is associated with approximately 900 new cancer cases and 500 cancer deaths annually. More than half of all head and neck cancers and 12% of breast cancers in Ireland were found to be associated with alcohol consumption. As one of the Deputies pointed out, when we see or hear the word "cancer" we shudder. That is the point of the labelling. It is to ensure that people consider before having a drink what they might be doing. People can make an informed choice. I am very proud to support the idea of providing people with the information they might need so they can make an informed choice.

Despite the demonstrated links between alcohol consumption and ill health, alcohol continues to be advertised heavily as though it were not a toxic substance. It is assumed that consumers have access to the information that they require to make informed choices. The debate here this evening proves that more information is indeed required. In numerous studies and journals published by the British General Medical Council, it was found that providing detailed warnings about cancer risk and alcohol products was a viable means of increasing public awareness of the health risks associated with alcohol consumption. In one study, responses to the cancer statement were neutral to favourable, indicating that they were unlikely to encounter high levels of negative reaction from the community if introduced on alcoholic beverages. Females, younger respondents and those with higher levels of education generally found the statements to be more believable, convincing and personally relevant. Therefore, cancer warning statements on alcoholic beverages constitute a potential means of increasing awareness about the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk. We should be able to agree that this is one step we very definitely need to take, and we should support it. We cannot go back to the days of the tobacco industry, when the interests of the industry were put before people's health.

The issue of the Dáil bar has been raised. I am already on record as supporting the argument made in this regard. With regard to alcohol consumption and the potential harm, we can lead by example by installing a small café instead of the Dáil bar.

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