The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, has engaged in another bout of hand-wringing over the rising level of alcohol consumption in our society.
Releasing the report by a Strategic Task Force on Alcohol - which found the consumption of spirits to have increased by 50 per cent in the past six years - Mr Martin promised support for its recommendations. Given the powerful commercial interests involved, however, he spoke of reducing, rather than banning, the exposure of children to alcohol advertising. And he favoured our politically-dominated health boards becoming involved in the renewal of drink licences and in working with the Garda, emergency services and publicans.
Ireland has a chronic drink problem. It has moved from 12th to 2nd place in the world rankings of alcohol consumption. Three years ago, the Eastern Health Board found that almost 80 per cent of boys and 65 per cent of girls in the 15-18 year age group drank at least once a month. But we still do not have mandatory identity cards. And the growing trend towards underage drinking has not led to a ban on alcohol advertising and promotion, such as was advocated by the World Health Organisation. Instead, the opening hours for pubs and clubs were extended by the outgoing Government.
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In the dying days of that government, the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, published details of a Criminal Justice (Public Order) Bill designed to respond to public-order offences arising from alcohol abuse. When the Bill is eventually passed by the Oireachtas, later this year, it will allow the Garda to apply for the closure or pubs, clubs and food outlets where the owners fail to prevent disorder or deal with excessive noise. Widespread hooliganism and late-night assaults have outraged the public and one-quarter of all visits to accident and emergency units in hospitals are now alcohol related.
The failure of the outgoing Government to take tough decisions on drunk driving was also underlined by the Task Force's decision to advocate random breath testing and a reduction in blood alcohol to EU levels. Last year, both of those measures were ducked when legislation was passed. The Task Force suggested higher taxes on alcohol; the prosecution of those publicans who serve drink to intoxicated customers and a crack-down on special sales promotions.
Fifteen months ago, when the last set of shocking statistics was published, the Minister for Health called on the general public to face up to the reality of our national alcohol problem. He was right to do so. But political leadership must be provided if the scourge of alcohol is to be confronted. So far, that element has been lacking.