The Department of Health has effectively ruled out a recommendation by an Oireachtas committee for a ban on alcohol advertising.
Yesterday a report by the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children made a series of recommendations aimed at curbing excessive drinking among young people.
The recommendations include a ban on alcohol advertising within three years and a ban on drinks company sponsorship for all sporting events involving people under 25 years of age.
Other key recommendations are for an alcohol control centre to monitor and co-ordinate the enforcement of measures relating to the regulation of alcohol products.
A doubling in duty and taxes on alcopops, and price controls over soft drinks sold in public houses, have also been recommended.
A bar-code system for identifying where specific alcohol products are bought, in order to guard against under-age drinking, should be introduced, the report said.
Shock advertising, better training for security staff and a screening strategy at casualty units to identify those at risk of alcohol abuse are also needed, the committee said.
Launching the report, Mr Batt O'Keeffe, the committee's chairman, said the report was "grounded in reality" and provided a "clear directional path" in relation to policy development.
Mr O'Keeffe criticised the ongoing practice of major sporting organisations signing sponsorship deals with drinks companies.
He said the "committee cannot understand how a national organisation supporting fitness, supporting healthy lifestyles" allowed itself to be associated with drink advertising.
Many of the major sporting organisations have sponsorship deals with drinks companies, notably the GAA, whose All-Ireland hurling championship is sponsored by Guinness.
Mr O'Keeffe also highlighted the profit margins of 500 per cent that some pubs make on soft drinks, claiming it could be more expensive to have an alcohol-free night out.
Reacting to the report, the Department of Health said it had proposals at an advanced stage for legislation to limit alcohol advertising to young people, along with a series of initiatives aimed at reducing alcohol consumption.
The legislation, which will be introduced later this year, is expected to outlaw advertisements which suggest that alcohol can enhance your life or make you more attractive.
Alcohol advertisements will also be required to carry health warnings, and alcohol sponsorship of events involving under 18s will also be banned.
However a spokeswoman for the Department said an outright ban was not planned.
Such a ban could be contrary to European law on the free movement of goods and services, she said.
In addition, it would not cover advertising from foreign-based media, including English television channels.