John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 248: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the progress made to date in 2005 on implementing the recommendations of the task force on alcohol; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35495/05]

Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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The strategic task force on alcohol was established in January 2002 by the then Minister for the Health and Children. It produced an interim report in May 2002 and published its second report in September 2004. Government approval has been granted to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children to implement the recommendations of the task force which come within her remit and other Ministers have been asked to implement the recommendations appropriate to their Departments.

Progress has been made in several areas since the publication of the interim report. The Intoxicating Liquor Act 2003 includes measures to combat drunkenness and disorderly conduct, binge drinking and under age drinking. The Road Traffic Act 2003 extended the grounds for requesting a breath test to detect alcohol. The Minister for Transport is committed to the introduction of random breath testing. A voluntary code has been agreed with the advertising, broadcasting and drinks industries to reduce the exposure of young people to alcohol advertising. A monitoring body to oversee the implementation of the code will be established presently.

A three-year alcohol awareness campaign, Less is More, implemented by the health promotion unit of the Department of Health and Children, raised awareness of alcohol related harm and stimulated public debate. Two new alcohol advertisements targeted at under age drinkers have been developed and are being transmitted. A training programme in responsible serving practices for the drinks trade has been developed and is now provided by Fáilte Ireland. Social, personal and health education is now mandatory on the school curriculum and support services have increased. The GAA has recently appointed a national co-ordinator to implement an alcohol and drug misuse policy. The project is supported by the health promotion unit of the Department of Health and Children.

Several research projects have been undertaken to monitor and inform alcohol policy decision making. The research projects published since 2002 include lifestyle surveys, a European comparative study on drinking patterns, a survey on public attitudes to proposed alcohol policy changes and the Irish College of General Practitioners alcohol aware project. A research study on alcohol and injuries in accident and emergency departments will be published presently.

A working group on alcohol was recently established to help mobilise the stakeholders through social partnership to achieve a targeted and measurable reduction in alcohol misuse. The group operates in the context of the special initiative on alcohol and drug misuse under Sustaining Progress. The group comprises the social partners, the relevant Departments, the Garda, the national drugs strategy team and the Health Service Executive. The group is seeking to agree a programme of actions which can deliver targeted results in relation to under age drinking, binge drinking and drink driving. It is expected to produce a set of recommendations in late 2005.