NOffLA Speaks: Availability of alcohol
NOffLA explains why the availability of alcohol in Ireland must be addressed in the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill
Print19 May 2015
“Alcohol is not a normal product for sale in a supermarket like food, milk, minerals or whatever. It is a potentially dangerous product and for that reason, it needs to be treated differently to other products.” These were the words of former Junior Health Minister Roisin Shortall at an Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children in 2011.
As the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill makes its way through the Oireachtas, there are many aspects that will be considered, discussed and debated. Various vested interests will attempt to influence the outcome of the final legislation. One issue which must be addressed within this legislation is the availability of alcohol in Ireland – and this does not just relate to the number of outlets which sell alcohol, but the nature of these outlets.
Roisin Shortall, who championed the responsible sale of alcohol, didn’t leave room for ambiguity when she spoke to that Oireachtas Committee: “In tackling this problem, the other key area is the explosion in the number of outlets for alcohol. One can buy alcohol in every corner shop and every filling station. The big concern about that is that alcohol is displayed along with the sweets, biscuits, bread or milk and it normalises the idea of alcohol as a product…It was a retrograde step to liberalise the licensing laws in the way we did, which opened up the question of availability. Availability is a key aspect, not only in terms of normalising our attitude to alcohol but also in terms of making it much more accessible to young people.”
Oireachtas members would do well to remember the advice of the former Minister when considering how alcohol will be made available under the terms of the proposed Public Health (Alcohol) legislation.
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