James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 788: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress made on the Programme for Government commitment to a code of practice on the sale of alcohol with the off-licence trade; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26816/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Arising from recommendations in the Report of the Government Alcohol Advisory Group, section 8 of the Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008, which is currently before the House, contains proposals for structural separation of alcohol products in mixed trading premises such as supermarkets and convenience stores.

Following publication of the Bill, organisations representing supermarkets, convenience stores and other mixed trading outlets have offered to implement a sector-wide voluntary Code of Practice as an alternative to the section 8 provisions. The Code would cover issues such as the location and display of alcohol within premises, signage, warning signs, in-store advertising, as well as staff training standards. Implementation would be overseen and enforced through an independent audit and verification mechanism.

I received a first draft of the proposed Code from Retail Ireland last week and it is being examined in my Department and in the Department of Health and Children. It will, or course, be necessary to have support for its contents from all the bodies representing mixed trading outlets across the country.

I have already indicated to the House in the course of the Second Stage debate on the Bill that I am disposed to deferring implementation of section 8 of the Bill on being satisfied that agreement has been reached on the Code and there is the required level of support for its strict implementation across the mixed trading sector; that the Code would achieve in effect what we have set out to achieve through structural separation; and that the Code is subject to independent verification on an annual basis.

I look forward to further debate on the question of the proposed Code during the Committee and remaining stages on the Bill.

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Question 789: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress made on the Programme for Government commitment to double the penalties for all offences relating to the sale of alcohol to children, the purchase of alcohol for children and the breach of the restrictions on the presence of underage persons on licensed premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26819/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008, which is currently before the House, provides for increases in fines for certain offences under the Licensing Acts, including the sale of intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 years of age and the supply of such liquor to persons under the age of 18 years by persons other than licensees. The Bill also provides that a minimum closure period of two days shall apply in future in cases where a temporary closure order is imposed by the courts. The imposition of such an order is mandatory in cases where a licensee is convicted of the offence of selling intoxicating liquor to an underage person.