Fianna Fáil is committed to alcohol Bill, Martin says

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin has insisted his party is committed to legislation to deal with the health implications of Ireland's alcohol consumption.

He made his comments following the lobbying of Senators by the drinks industry and small businesses over their opposition to elements of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill.

The committee stage of the Bill will be debated in the Seanad on Wednesday.

Senators in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in particular are said to be under increasing pressure to reject a number of its provisions.

Ibec and the drinks industry have submitted amendments to Senators in each of the four main areas of the legislation, asking the representatives to table the amendments for the debate.

The Bill aims to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol, to provide for obligatory health warnings on labels, to impose restrictions on advertising and promotion and to implement strict segregation of alcohol products from other consumer goods in supermarkets.

A number of Senators have said in private that the biggest battle will be over the requirement in the legislation for separation of alcohol in stores, because of the cost implications for small supermarket owners.

One Senator said that small businesses “don’t have the wherewithal” to completely segregate alcohol.

However, Mr Martin said that his party is “in favour of separation”.

At the weekend, Fine Gael Minister of State for Health Marcella Corcoran Kenny acknowledged concerns about the Bill.

“I believe any concerns can be allayed and any misunderstandings clarified and I hope that we will move forward in a spirit of consensus to pass this landmark piece of legislation into law,” she said.

‘Long overdue’

Speaking to reporters following his address to the annual Fianna Fáil Wolfe Tone commemoration at Bodenstown, Co Kildare, Mr Martin said the legislation was long overdue "in terms of dealing with the alcohol issue in this country.

“Obviously at committee stage issues will arise, but I don’t think there is opposition to the segregation idea, in terms of alcohol being separated from other products within a supermarket. That makes sense.”

Asked about the pressure on Senators from the drinks industry and small business, the Fianna Fáil leader said various sectors would come forward with various amendments.

“As a political party we take a stance and a decision on a Bill. And obviously before anything is tabled we do it ourselves from our own policy perspective. We just don’t take amendments from somebody and put them in.”

He said that “it’s a matter of our own policy response to an issue and that’s how we’re going to approach it.

“Our parliamentary party itself will discuss that.”

Monday at 11am is the deadline for amendments to be submitted for the legislation.

Mr Martin said “fundamentally we are behind the Bill, particularly in terms of the pricing element of it.

“There are very significant issues facing us in terms of alcohol and indeed other dependencies and addictions that are out there. And as a society we have to deal with them.”

Minimum unit pricing

Senators on all sides have said minimum unit pricing would be accepted despite lobbying against it.

The proposal was helped on Friday by a Scottish court judgment in favour of Scotland’s plans to introduce minimum unit pricing.

Ms Corcoran Kennedy said the ruling showed “alternative measures, including increases in taxation, are not capable of protecting life and health as effectively as minimum pricing”.

Such pricing “is a proportionate measure that will effectively target the widespread access to alcohol that is very cheap relative to its strength”.

She said that “the measure is based on the evidence that harmful drinkers are particularly likely to consume drinks which are cheap in proportion to their alcoholic strength - in other words, drinks which deliver a lot of alcohol for a low price”.

Research showed that minimum unit pricing changed behaviour in those who were most at risk, she said.