Reilly: Drink ads ban won’t cause sky to fall in

Health Minister James Reilly said the “sky won’t fall in” if alcohol sports sponsorship is phased out under the Government’s faltering alcohol action plan.

Dr Reilly said that while alcohol addiction was a major problem, so too was sports’ “addiction” to the income from sponsorship by the drinks industry.

He was speaking after an Oireachtas committee argued against banning sponsorship and drink giant Diageo threatened to pull back operations if the measure went through.