Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is what this legislation is about. Some 2,823 men and 1,700 women died of alcohol-related cancers and we are saying it might be a good idea to stick a label on a bottle to let people know.

The Deputy is correct to say that, on its own, this measure will not fix the problem. There must be a multi-facetted approach to address the issue and this is a part of the solution. It has always been the intention of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 to have labels on bottles. That has never changed. It was also the intention when my friend and colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, was guiding the Bill through the Seanad. The debate has been about whether it is better to provide for it in primary legislation or leave it to the Minister of the day to provide for it via regulations. We have never disagreed - contrary to what I have read - on whether there should be a cancer warning. The disagreement has been about the mechanism we should use. A motion was passed unanimously in the Seanad in November last year which stated it should be done via primary legislation. In recent days I have engaged with stakeholders to establish the best way to do this. I have decided that we should lead in this area and that it should be done via primary legislation which should be sent to the European Commission and we will see what it states. If Deputy Micheál Martin had adopted the approach advocated by some in this House, we would not have had a smoking ban, for which I give him credit. Many of the arguments being hurled at me are the same arguments that were hurled at Deputy Micheál Martin when he introduced the smoking ban. Public health legislation is never easy to introduce. It causes discomfort and us to change the way we do things.

I have shared the thought with members of the Opposition that there is a risk in the approach we are taking. We must share that risk and take it with our eyes wide open. The European Commission did not issue a negative opinion on the issue of cancer labelling when it was notified, but it made ot very clear that a final decision could not be reached until the relevant regulations had been notified and scrutinised. People have asked when labelling will commence. The legislation is very clear in stating it will not happen until after three years have elapsed once the Commission has approved the label. As people have said to me this week, if the Commission comes back with a negative opinion, we will have a period in which to work out how to deal with it. However, that is not a reason not to do it.

I propose that we oppose the amendments which try to remove the spotlight that, collectively, we wish to shine on the fact that there is a causal link between alcohol and cancer and that citizens are dying as a result of it.

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