ALCOHOLIC lemonades were one of the biggest threats to young people in Ireland and the way they were being marketed was "positively dangerous", according to the Minister for Health, Mr Noonan.
Launching the National Alcohol Policy, approved at this week's Cabinet meeting, the Minister said he was opposed to longer licensing hours. He was also sharply critical of those publicans who sell drink at reduced prices during the so called happy hour".
"The alcoholic lemonades are one of the biggest threats to young people in the country. The manner in which they are branded and marketed to make them look as if they were non alcoholic drinks is positively dangerous. If you look at the labelling, you will see that the alcohol content is frequently higher than moderate beers.
It was something that would have to be dealt with, first of all by discussing it with the promoters. If changes in presentation were not made voluntarily, then he believed the Government would have to act.
"I think a beer should look like a beer. We all know what that means in terms of bottling and packaging. I don't think something with an alcohol content of 5.5 per cent or 5.4 per cent should be `dickied up' to look like a mineral water."
On the "happy hour", he believed there was a connection between "cut pricing" over a short period of time and excessive consumption, "because there are people who, if they get it cheaper for an hour, will drink more than they would in the following three hours".
But rather than prohibiting the happy hour, the Government would encourage publicans in discussions to bring the custom to an end voluntarily.
"I don't like the idea of a country where someone sitting behind a desk such as mine signs diktats which tell people what to do."
Mr Noonan said he would be telling the Select Dail Committee on Legislation and Security, which was currently reviewing the licensing laws, that he was opposed to any extension of hours.
He would be drawing the committee's attention to the conclusion reached by the World Health Organisation that "the weight of the empirical evidence" supported the argument that limiting the availability of alcohol could be effective in helping to alleviate the problems associated with excessive drinking.
"I'm not sure that the trade is universally in favour of extended licensing hours either. It depends on who you're talking to," he said.
The Government's message was that the abuse of alcohol has severe adverse provable effects across one's personal life, including one's personal health, and the policy position of the Government is that we would be encouraging moderate rather than excessive use of alcohol".
The Minister rejected suggestions that the alcohol policy lacked "teeth" and the Government should have taken a somewhat tougher approach.
"It's very hard to legislate for virtue. It's even difficult enough to legislate for good behaviour. The kind of island that I would like to see is where we would have what I would describe as sovereign individuals who are well educated and mature and that when you give them information which is relevant to their own well being they will make individual sovereign decisions in their own interest.
"I think that's the best approach."
In a statement, the Department of Health said the alcohol policy was "based on a multi sectoral approach involving a wide range of statutory and non statutory organisations".
The policy had drawn on the report of a working group established by the Advisory Council on Health Promotion and on current research from the World Health Organisation.
Specific initiatives aimed at young people included encouraging them "to postpone the decision to drink alcohol until they are mature enough to consume the drug responsibly".
The Department of Education would develop a campus alcohol policy to promote "sensible" drinking among students and limit "campus related drink industry sponsorships".
The Minister pointed out that the Government was not advocating any kind of prohibition strategies, which were unnecessary, unworkable and foolish. "I'm a person who enjoys a drink myself," Mr Noonan said.