MINISTER FOR Community Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív has sharply criticised alcohol advertising, which he said was "codding" people with a sign to "drink responsibly" but sent a subliminal message that unless "you are literally drinking from afternoon to night, you have not had a full day".
People said alcohol advertising could not be banned, but "the counter argument must always be that people would not spend millions on advertising if it did not sell more of their product", he said during the debate on the Intoxicating Liquor Bill.
The Minister highlighted one advert that created an "entire scene involving alcohol. You must have alcohol on the way to the party and get more alcohol when you get there." At the bottom of the advertisement there was a "little sign telling people to drink responsibly. I do not know who is codding who, because while I accept that no drinks company per se sets out to sell alcohol to the point of excess, they very cleverly send the subliminal message in some of these advertisements that unless you are literally drinking from afternoon to night, you have not had a full day."
Minister of State Mary Wallace welcomed the powers for gardaí to dispose of seized alcohol. "I am aware of reports in my own area of parents coming to the local Garda station seeking the return of alcohol confiscated from their children. I am amazed at such behaviour, which raises serious questions of parental responsibility."
Brian O'Shea (Labour, Waterford) referred to research showing that alcohol is being passed on to younger people by older siblings or parents. He had heard of an incident where a supermarket employee challenged a woman who had bought bottles of beer and was giving them to a young person. "It turned out he was her son and she became quite abusive towards the supermarket employee. She said she would do what she liked with the alcohol."
John O'Mahony (FG, Mayo) said one of the few benefits of the recession was "that there will be less money available to be spent on alcohol". Parents "have an enormous responsibility in this area. They must have greater awareness of where their children are at critical times of the day.
"Amounts of pocket money must be monitored and supervision and a presence in the home is crucial at certain times."
Aengus Ó Snodaigh (SF, Dublin South-Central) was disappointed "at the unjustifiable failure of the Government to act on most of the 100 recommendations made by the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol which reported in 2004. This is the modus operandi of a Government which has long-fingered action by commissioning report after report, and then failing to implement or enforce the expert recommendations in those reports."