Fewer complaints on alcohol ads

FOR EVERY euro spent on alcohol advertising the same amount should be used to highlight the effects of drinking on health, an Oireachtas committee on enterprise has heard.

Fine Gael deputy Damien English told members of the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) that he believed it was important adverts show consumers the effects of their products.

ASAI chairman Edward McCumiskey said alcohol has been an issue in the advertising world, but that a new advertising code on such products has seen public concerns quieten down.

Mr McCumiskey said the advertising industry is working with the Department of Health in the area and that this has resulted in fewer complaints from the public about alcohol advertisements.

The ASAI, an independent self-regulatory body, was invited to appear before the committee yesterday to discuss ethical standards in Irish advertising.

The committee heard that of the 11,000 adverts assessed by the ASAI last year, some 98 per cent were compliant with the ASAI’s code of practice.

Green Party Deputy Mary White said she believed too much advertising was aimed at children. Frank Goodman, chief executive of the authority, said adverts should not encourage children to put pressure on their parents and that a new code on pester power has been introduced. He said it is no longer a regular cause for complaint to the authority.