Vintners condemn McDowell’s cafe bar plan

THE introduction of continental-style cafe bars will do nothing to tackle the problem of binge drinking, publicans warned yesterday.

The Vintners’ Federation of Ireland (VFI) said the plan by Justice Minister Michael McDowell was illogical.

“It is most unlikely that people will eat more and drink less because a premises is called a café bar rather than a public bar,” said president Seamus O’Donoghue. The new cafe bars will be required to serve hot food but customers will not need to buy food to be served alcohol.

At the VFI’s annual conference in Cork, Mr O’Donoghue said there were already 13,000 pub licences in the country, which amounted to one for every 260 adults compared to one for every 780 adults in Britain.

“The proposal to introduce more licences, making alcohol even more accessible, defies logic if the aim, as outlined by the Justice Department, is to curb excessive drinking,” he said. The cafe bar licences, which will be introduced in the forthcoming Intoxicating Liquor Bill, are expected to cost around €5,000 compared to €170,000 for a pub licence.

Mr McDowell has said the bars would provide a new environment which would inhibit binge-drinking and allow for better control over under-age drinking.

A 2002 study showed that Irish adults had the highest alcohol consumption and the highest level of binge drinking in Europe. In 2003, the Liquor Licensing Commission recommended the introduction of cafe bars, but the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol said any further increases in the number of alcohol outlets should be restricted.

“Several studies have shown that a reduction in the physical availability of alcohol is associated with reductions in both alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems.”

Public health specialist Dr Joe Barry, who was a member of the Strategic Task Force, said he was disappointed that Mr McDowell had ignored the recommendation. “I think the minister has got it wrong if he thinks his bill is going to improve things. He’s actually going to make matters worse.”

He said the bill would not deal with the problem of excessive consumption of alcohol in superpubs and off-licences or the promotion of alcohol through advertising and sponsorship.

“It’s a lost opportunity. He’s doing nothing about the things that are the problem.”