Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)

I move

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 by restricting the advertising of alcohol-free and low-alcohol products bearing any statement of any trade description or designation, or a display or other publication of a trademark, emblem, marketing image or logo, of an alcohol product with the aim or direct or indirect effect of promoting an alcohol product.

The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 was landmark legislation designed to reduce alcohol use in Ireland. A key objective of the Act was to limit the amount of alcohol marketing that children were exposed to. To help to achieve this, the Act included important restrictions on alcohol advertising near schools, playgrounds, public transport, cinemas and shops and during sports events. Just as these measures came into force, big alcohol brands began brand sharing, that is advertising zero alcohol products using the same parent branding, logos and colours. Unsurprisingly, the onslaught of zero alcohol advertising has been at its most intense in the very places where the 2018 Act restricted alcohol advertising, spaces which were specifically chosen to protect children.

Some may say these companies are entitled to advertise their 0% products in these spaces but I do not believe this is the case. We must remember the zero alcohol versions of major alcoholic drinks share identical markers to their master brands, they just have a 0% tag at the end. When people see the advertisement for a major drinks company, even with a "0%" slapped on, they see the alcohol brand and it is the flagship product they think of. In the 2018 Act advertising is defined as any form of commercial communication that directly or - this is the important point - indirectly promotes alcohol products. Surely, at a very minimum, what the drinks industry is doing constitutes the indirect promotion of alcohol products, which is prohibited under the 2018 Act.

A recent example of the alcohol industry flouting the law is the Six Nations rugby championship. Anybody watching the home games would have seen the Guinness logo emblazoned all across the field of play with a "0.0" tag at the end. The Guinness branding and logo are iconic. Anyone who sees them, even with the 0.0 included, sees the full-strength alcohol product and the alcohol industry knows this. Why else would drinks companies so aggressively promote products that account for just 1% of the total alcohol market? In 2022, zero alcohol advertisements made up 25% of the spend of alcohol brand advertising in outdoor spaces, where most of these restrictions are in place.

I take it that everybody in the Dáil believes that zero alcohol products are not suitable for children. Why, then, do we think exposing them to zero alcohol product advertising is? I have no issue with zero alcohol products but let us not for a second think the alcohol industry is pushing them because they want people to drink less. Obviously it does not but it has identified a loophole in the law and it is exploiting it. Why would it not? No one, including the Minister for Health, is stopping it. We cannot allow it to continue to just add 0% to the end of advertisements with absolutely no change to the branding, name or colour. These are blatant alcohol advertisements wearing a very thin disguise.

I am of the firm belief that what the alcohol industry is doing with zero advertising is already illegal. Since the Minister for Health will not stand up to the alcohol industry, I am tabling this legislation to remove any ambiguity, or the so-called loophole, in the 2018 Act to ensure it is implemented as intended. The Bill would amend the existing Act to explicitly include alcohol free or low alcohol products in the advertising provisions. In doing so, I simply want to make explicit what is already implicit in the law. We cannot stand back and allow vested interests to trample all over public health measures in the pursuit of profit.

The unfortunate reality is there is not a family in Ireland that has not been impacted by alcohol in some way. Beyond addiction, there is a growing understanding that alcohol is deeply damaging to the nation's health and well-being. Alcohol is a group 1 carcinogen, which means it causes cancer. According to the HSE, alcohol is one of the most preventable causes of cancer after smoking. Every year in Ireland, 1,000 people are diagnosed with alcohol-related cancers. The less you drink, the lower your risk. Therefore, any suggested association between sport and alcohol sends the wrong message to children. This link must be broken. According to Alcohol Action Ireland, approximately 50,000 children take up drinking in Ireland every year. Starting to drink as a child, which is the norm rather than the exception in this country, is a known risk factor for later alcohol dependency. In fact, the Irish drug and alcohol survey found that 37% of 15- to 24-year-olds had an alcohol use disorder. This should be setting off alarm bells.

We also know that every day in Ireland on average four people die from drinking, and more people end up in hospital due to alcohol-related harm. The Government's own research estimates that alcohol costs our health service a staggering €1.5 billion per year. Therefore, I hope the Minister and the Government agree the 2018 Act should be enforced as intended. I hope the Government will work with me to progress this legislation. Yesterday in the House, the Minister for justice said that if the Social Democrats tabled legislation, the Government would give it serious consideration and I hope it does.

I thank Sheila Gilheany and Eoin Ryan from Alcohol Action Ireland, who are in the Gallery today. They have been campaigning on this issue for some time. I thank them for their persistent advocacy and work in developing this legislation. I also thank Jake and Juliet in my office for their ongoing work and support.

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