Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am very happy to see the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill back before the House. It is over a year since it was last debated. I offer my support for Government amendments Nos. 10, 50 and 51 and will speak in favour of my own amendment No. 52. Since we last debated the Bill, more than 1,000 people have died from alcohol-related harm and none of us wants to see further delays to this vital legislation. I will keep my contributions short where possible to allow us to get through the amendments. I urge my colleagues across the House to proceed in this spirit.

I thank the Senators who have co-signed amendment No. 52, which is a relatively minor amendment to modify and clarify the Bill's preamble. As it stands, the Bill's opening paragraph states that a key aim of the legislation is to provide for restrictions on the advertising and sponsorship of alcohol products. We wish to add the words "generally and in relation to children" to bring some small but important clarity to the fact that a key reason to control the advertising of alcohol is child protection, to address our harmful with alcohol from an early age. This is in line with the spirit of the Bill as evidenced by several provisions on advertising which relate specifically to children, including a 200 m limit near schools or playgrounds or children's sports events. The minor change we propose places a focus on child protection from the very start and it is something we can all get behind.

I thank the Children's Rights Alliance, the ISPCC, Barnardos and other children's rights organisations for their strong and unwavering support for the Bill to date. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment. I will be pushing for a vote when it is moved.