Youth groups call for greater control on alcohol

A coalition of over 50 youth organisations has called on the Government to introduce stiff measures to control the availability of alcohol.

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) says the present voluntary code on alcohol advertising should be replaced with a statutory one to reduce the exposure of children to alcohol marketing.

It also calls for greater control on the availability of off-licences, and effective treatment services for alcohol abuse.

The calls were made at a weekend conference held by the council to address the problem of alcohol-related harm among young people.

Mary Cunningham, NYCI director, said the present approach to the problem was not working. "Our dependence on alcohol continues to increase, with negative consequences for all parts of society.

"Government must have the courage to take decisive steps to reduce alcohol-related harm in Ireland. Our young people have the right to be protected from pressures to drink.

"Addressing this problem requires leadership. We have to ask the question; has Government the nerve to provide it?"

Minister for State for Youth Affairs Seán Haughey told the conference there was a clear need to educate young people and society in general about alcohol and its effects.

"There is no one easy solution, and the problem needs to be tackled in a multi-faceted way."

Ireland has one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption in the EU. One-third of students in Ireland aged 15 to 16 reported drinking five or more drinks in a row three times or more in the previous 30 days, the highest proportion of binge drinking in any state, according to an EU survey.

Meanwhile, a Tesco Ireland drinks promotion run during the St Patrick's Day holiday period has been found to be in breach of a drinks industry code of practice.

A complaints panel found the promotion breached a section of the code that prohibits the encouragement of irresponsible consumption. The code is operated by Meas (Mature Enjoyment of Alcohol), an industry-funded group.

The complaint about the Tesco "Buy 12 cans, get 12 cans free" promotion came from a member of the public. Newspaper advertisements used the phrase "get in fast, limited availability", and did not include any limitation on the total number of purchases per customer. The phrase "enjoy alcohol responsibly" was included, but in a small font.

Although in-store posters stated in small type that customers were limited to one purchase only, the complaints panel considered the absence of any reference to a limit in the newspaper advertisement a serious omission.

A complaint about a drinks promotion in Davitt's Bar, Dungarvan, Co Waterford, was also upheld. This offered free drinks for early customers and two drinks for the price of one on certain nights. The panel said these promotions could "entail a disproportionate risk" of alcohol misuse and anti-social behaviour.

The promotion of a shot called a "horny banana" was judged a further breach of the code because it suggested an association between alcohol and sexual success or prowess. The promotion has since been withdrawn.