Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

The reason we have finally reached this point, and will hopefully pass this legislation, is because our society, across all age groups, has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol. A particularly concerning aspect is that our young people are so exposed to alcohol. Many adults tend to have an ambivalent attitude to alcohol and the exposure of children to the it. We know from recent surveys that approximately one third of secondary school students engage in binge drinking on a monthly basis and that one quarter of those students are aged between 13 and 15. There is an undoubted connection between that level of binge drinking and the fact that children are exposed to a high level of alcohol advertising. The promotion of alcohol takes many forms and sports sponsorship is a significant component in that regard.

Representatives of the three main participation sports in Ireland have been very reluctant to divulge all the information on how much they receive in sponsorship from the alcohol industry. The indications are that funding they receive from that source each year is somewhere between €10 million and €20 million. The dependence on alcohol sponsorship is heavier for soccer and rugby, and especially for rugby. It is much higher than for the GAA. Thankfully, alcohol funding is now a relatively minor and declining element of the latter's sponsorship. It is clear that such sponsorship is not done for philanthropic reasons. It is sometimes put forward that those in the alcohol industry are providing these vast amounts of money out of the goodness of their hearts. Clearly, there is a substantial commercial gain for the drinks industry if it is willing to spend such sums on the promotion of its products.

There is ample evidence to show that the sponsorship of sport by the alcohol industry is effective and that it works in the context of increasing both brand share and the volume of alcohol consumed. There is substantial evidence in that regard. One of the very compelling pieces of research was conducted by Dr. Patrick Kenny at the Dublin Institute of Technology. Dr. Kenny has presented evidence that links alcohol promotion and sports sponsorship with harmful drinking. It is very difficult to dispute that research, and I am sure the Minister has come across the study. In the UK, Dr. Peter Anderson has written extensively on this matter.

Curbing the promotion of alcohol is supported by many reputable sources, including the chief medical officer, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, the British Medical Association and the World Health Organization. It is also important to note the analysis that was conducted by Professor Gerard Hastings into sponsorship by the alcohol industry of sports and music events in the UK. Internal industry documentation was sourced as part of an investigation that was carried out by the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee. One industry document that was sourced, "They’ll drink bucket loads of the stuff", outlined the benefits for the alcohol industry in sponsoring sports and other activities. The analysis highlighted a very deliberate use of sports and music sponsorship to recruit young drinkers, especially young male drinkers.

Internal documents from Carling concluded that the point of Carling sponsorship was to, "Build the image of the brand and recruit young, male drinkers". That is the intention of Carling's sponsorship according to its own statement.

The document pointed to the attractiveness of piggy-backing on the heroes of young people in sport, music and other areas. The document concluded:

They [young men] think about four things. We brew one and sponsor two of them.

Having read this evidence, it would be impossible to conclude anything other than that the promotion of alcohol, including sport sponsorship, leads to earlier initiation of drinking, higher levels of consumption and greater health risks.

It is important to note that the proposed ban on sport sponsorship was contained in the original report of the steering group and identified as a key area that needed attention. Since then the alcohol industry has been successful in its active lobbying of successive Ministers and particularly, in the last Government, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Regrettably the industry was very successful in its constant lobbying of those two Ministers. Those Ministers have since moved Departments and one would hope they have a greater insight into the importance, for health reasons, of banning the sponsorship of sporting events by the alcohol industry.

Members have warned of the impact of a ban on sports funding. Other sponsors will step in to take the place of the alcohol industry if their sponsorship is banned. That happened in the GAA, where there does not seem to be any difficulty in finding replacement sponsors. The Magners League is now the RaboDirect Pro-14. The Guinness Hurling Championship is now sponsored by Etihad, Centra and Liberty Insurance. Where Carlsberg was once the shirt sponsor for Liverpool FC, it is now Standard Chartered. The Carling Cup in now the Capital One Cup. There is not an issue with finding alternative sponsors.

This is a reasonable proposal. It proposes phasing out alcohol sponsorship of sporting areas and events over a five-year period. I urge the Minister and the main Opposition party to support this amendment. Advertising works and that is why the alcohol industry does it. We can protect our young people in particular by banning it. I urge support for the amendment.

See this speech in context