Guinness has been allowed to "take over the national game of hurling" and to advocate drinking at every opportunity while there were strong restrictions on tobacco advertising, the Dail heard.
Fine Gael's health spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell, said the Government had a "dual personality" on alcohol and tobacco. Speaking during a debate on legislation to raise the age at which tobacco products can be sold from 16 to 18, he said alcohol did more damage than all the banned drugs consumed in the State.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr Tom Moffatt, introduced the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. The measures include raising fines from £500 to £1,500 for selling to under-age individuals.
The Minister said smoking-related illnesses accounted for about 7,000 deaths in Ireland every year.
A complete ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship was necessary to reduce children's exposure to inducements to tobacco products. Ireland was one of the first countries to introduce such restrictions, he said.
However, Mr Mitchell said the Bill was an opportunity to deal with a number of issues of major concern yet instead "it provides a number of tidying-up provisions and duplicity in the area of tobacco".
He said Guinness had been a good employer, and its product should be enjoyed in moderation. "My criticism is not of the moderate consumption of products with an alcoholic content but of the policy of allowing these products to be advocated in an unhealthy way without being fettered or criticised."
There was no overall policy on the abuse of alcohol, and it was time for a Green Paper to set out policy alternatives. "We permit ever-increasing public inducements to consume alcohol, including attaching the Guinness product to the national game of hurling. The GAA should review its policy in this regard.
"We have strong restrictions on the advertisement of tobacco, but we have allowed Guinness to take over the national game of hurling and to run full-page advertisements advocating alcohol in all circumstances, from improving the hair of the dog to examination results".
He also hit out at hygiene in hospitals where "if food served to a patient falls to the ground nurses must wait for contract cleaners to remove it. In some instances this has meant food being left on the ground for prolonged periods." In the past "if one visited a hospital run by nuns one could see a reflection of oneself on the floor".
Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, said the Minister had rightly made smoking a target for reduction from 30 per cent to 20 per cent over 10 years. However, she would not support any attempt to "hype" the Bill which, she said, was "hardly an auspicious start to a crusade to tackle nicotine addiction".
How far would the measures go? she asked. "How will these regulations be enforced and how effectively? What are the mechanisms which will guarantee results?"
