DOES THIS Government have any coherent policies at all? Last year, with great hullabaloo, it passed the Intoxicating Liquor Act that was designed to protect society from the malign effects of alcohol abuse. We have the worst incidence of underage binge drinking within the EU. And adults tend to behave in an equally irresponsible fashion. There is no denying the seriousness of the problem. But when it came to applying the provisions of the 2008 Act, involving the sale of cheap alcohol through supermarkets and mixed retail stores, the Government caved in to pressure.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern attended a function organised by supermarkets and multiples during the week at which he welcomed their production of a voluntary code of conduct that will require them to display alcohol in separate areas of their premises. It was represented as a reasonable development, rather than a capitulation to powerful commercial interests. The Minister even undertook to enshrine the voluntary code in law, if it was found to work in a survey funded by the same companies.
At this point, it may be useful to recall the provisions of the Intoxicating Liquor Act that were passed by the Oireachtas in 2008. They arose from years of careful consideration and consultations with the Department of Health. All alcohol sales were to take place in a section of the retail store/supermarket separated by a wall or similar barrier and behind a door or a gate. The public would not have to pass through this area to get to the rest of the premises. The Minister was also entitled to prohibit the promotion of drink at a reduced price or through the use of bonus points. And he could restrict the advertising of alcohol.
The voluntary code now in place is a far cry from those assertive powers. A ban on below-cost selling was in doubt even before the Bill was signed into law, much to the chagrin of members of the National Off-Licence Association who accused the Government of caving in to commercial pressure. They held that the promotion of bulk purchases of cheap alcohol was at the heart of the State’s alcohol abuse problem.
The power of the drinks industry, in all its manifestations, is pervasive. It overrides considerations of public health and the corrosive effect alcohol abuse has on society. Two years ago, the government was advised by the European Commission that voluntary advertising codes and self-regulation in the drinks industry did not work. Yet here we are.