Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)

Today, the HSE made an unequivocal statement that alcohol consumption causes cancer. That is why it is ramping up efforts to inform people of the link between alcohol and cancer. However, at the same time, this Government is rowing back on its commitment to alcohol health labelling, or at least Fine Gael is. I will read a quote to the Taoiseach: "Alcohol causes cancer, and we would be negligent not to tell people that." Who said that? It was deputy leader of the Taoiseach's party, Deputy Jack Chambers, during a debate on the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill in 2018. Is this still Fianna Fáil's position or is the Taoiseach's party, like Fine Gael, now on the side of the alcohol industry without regard to the fact that alcohol labelling has nothing to do with tariffs? The regulations only apply to what is imported for sale in Ireland and home-produced products. The onus is on retailers to label the products. They can simply add a sticker to the product. Will the Taoiseach be led by the facts and ensure that the Government introduces alcohol labelling next May?

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