Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will speak to amendments Nos. 26 and 28. As Senator Black has said, the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill is not only concerned with public health but also pertains to child protection. We have just agreed to amend the preamble of the Bill. I hope the Minister will consider advertisements in public places. The Minister has said they will not be in places where children are targeted. How are those areas where children are targeted defined? If one goes to a Dublin match, more than half of the people there are children under the age of 18. Will big matches and events such as that, where children are involved, be included in the definition? It will be difficult stuff to define.

With regard to amendment No. 28, sport is a healthy activity so it seems to be at odds with that to continue to link it to alcohol and alcohol consumption. It is a perfect way for the alcohol industry to show off its brands in a parasitic way by attaching itself to the healthy poster boy or girl playing for his or her team. The recommendations made years ago by the steering group of the national substance abuse strategy was to implement this phasing out by last year. We are hopeful and are asking for it by December 2023, given that nothing has been done on that recommendation of the steering group. We must give sporting bodies the help they deserve for encouraging our young adults to get involved in enjoying themselves mentally and physically as they grow up. To do it alongside a brand that can do an awful lot of harm seems contrary to that.