Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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449. To ask the Minister for Health if regulations currently being drafted under section 13 of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 in relation to ‘content of advertisements’ will apply to online, digital, and social media marketing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68666/25]

Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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450. To ask the Minister for Health if her attention has been brought to an increase in youth alcohol consumption rates in the past decade (details supplied); if her Department intends on conducting research into the role of digital and social media marketing of alcohol products in relation to this increase in youth drinking; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [68667/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 449 and 450 together.

My Department continuously monitors alcohol consumption including each year through our national Healthy Ireland survey.

The Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 was developed to address the harms caused by alcohol consumption in Ireland. The Act contains a suite of measures aimed at reducing alcohol consumption and harm generally and specifically delaying the age of initiation of alcohol use and reducing consumption among young people.

The Act is designed to achieve those objective by protecting children from exposure to alcohol products and alcohol advertising. Measures already in operation include restrictions on alcohol advertising on public transport, near schools, creches and playgrounds. In addition advertising has been restricted on television and radio and at events aimed at children. Alcohol products and advertising are also separated from other groceries in mixed retail outlets in order to reduce the likelihood that children will be exposed to them.

Regulations relating to advertisements under Section 13 of the Act are currently being developed in conjunction with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.

The regulation of social media and digital marketing is a complex area. Given its cross-jurisdictional nature, it can be addressed more effectively at EU level rather than at national level and aspects of such regulation are appropriate to the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport.