Bobby Aylward (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the aims and objectives of this Bill, which is to reduce excessive drinking, in respect of which I accept we have a problem in Ireland. However, I am not happy with the labelling measure, particularly the inclusion of the word "cancer" on labels. A lot of people dread the word "cancer", particularly those who have had it. I am a survivor of cancer. It is a word that instils dread in people. I do not believe we need to go as far as including the word "cancer" on alcohol labels. I would accept a warning to the effect that alcohol damages health but the word "cancer" is too severe. I ask the Minister to reconsider the use of that word as the mere mention of "cancer" causes fear in people, particularly people who have had cancer. One would need a barrel sized label if we were to put on it all of the illnesses caused by excessive drinking. There is such a thing as self-control. Most people know how much alcohol they should consume. What we are doing now is demonising alcohol. One would get the impression from this debate that if one takes a drink one is a bad person. Millions of people around the world enjoy a drink and do not drink excessively. Some people have a drink with a meal, on their way home on a Friday evening or when they go out on a Sunday night. I come from rural Ireland. Most people in rural Ireland enjoy a pint or two of Guinness and a chat in the pub on a Saturday night. If this provision is passed the labels on alcohol will state that drink causes cancer. This is not necessary.

The question as to why are we doing this has been asked already. Even if it is passed here, it could be refuted in Europe. If that happens it could be three years before it comes into force. Ireland is becoming a nanny state and a dictatorship. We are deciding how people are to live their lives, what they can do and what they cannot do. This provision will take the pleasure out of drinking alcohol if done in the right quantity. Alcoholics and excessive drinkers will not take any notice of the labels on bottles. This measure will not help address the issue of excessive drinking. I ask the Minister to pull back from using the word "cancer" and to include only the phrase that drink can cause damage to one's health.

I am also concerned about the proposed signage in pubs. We are hypocritical in Ireland in that we will be serving alcohol here with a label saying it causes cancer while only half an hour away and across the Irish Sea people will be able to get the same drink with no such warning on it. This is hypocritical. It is also uncompetitive in that Irish companies will have to bear this cost. There is no labelling of this sort in any other place in the world. There is a need for commonsense in this regard. All over the world, people will be able to buy a bottle of Jameson, Paddy or brands made in Ireland and not have this labelling on it but when they come to Ireland it will be on every bottle of alcohol they see. We are becoming a nanny state. We are dictating to people how to live their lives, what they can and cannot do. That is not our role.

I accept the we need to tackle excessive drinking but this is not the way to go about it. There are micro-breweries in many parts of Ireland. There are two start-up distilleries in Carlow and Kilkenny. In bringing in this excessive law, we are putting them at a disadvantage. I ask the Minister to step back from this, to drop the word "cancer" and to include only the phrase that drink causes damage to health.

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