Lifting low-cost ban would ‘fuel drink abuse’
The move, signalled as a possibility by Enterprise Minister Micheal Martin as part of a review of the Grocery Order, would also put him on a collision course with the Department of Health which he headed until last year.
Mr Martin will tomorrow announce a two to three-month period of public consultation on a range of consumer issues including the scrapping of the order which has been in place for 18 years.
The order was introduced in an attempt to protect small local shops from the expansion of the bigger
supermarket chains which benefit from bulk-buying and discounts and can afford to sell some products below the invoice price charged by their suppliers.
Opponents have argued repeatedly that the economy has changed dramatically since 1987 and the order is out of date and is preventing competition between the big retailers who now control most of the market.
But Alcohol Action Ireland pleaded yesterday for the order to remain in place in relation to alcohol even if it is revoked for other grocery items.
"Alcohol is no ordinary commodity and any increase in availability through a decrease in price or any other means would be a disaster," said chairwoman Marion Rackard.
Ms Rackard said it was ironic that the change was being mooted by Mr Martin given his recent experience as Minister for Health and claimed it highlighted the Government's failure to take a unified approach to the issue of alcohol abuse.
"The four major problems emanating from alcohol use are public order, accident and emergency, suicide and drink driving, so it's a problem for the Departments of Transport, Justice, Health, all of them in fact. If Government departments do not agree on a common approach, nothing they do will be effective," she said.
Irish Medical Organisation public health specialist, Dr Joe Barry, who is also on the National Task Force on Alcohol, said he had "no doubt" that if the price
order was lifted and allowed on the sale of cut-price alcohol, it would lead to higher consumption.
"We would hope that alcohol would be excluded from any changes to the order because it would be seriously detrimental.
Alcoholism is only part of the problem we see the increase in house fires from people taking drink home and then you have water safety issues too."
National Off-Licence Association spokesperson, Jim McCabe, said the association had already pushed for a retention of the ban in relation to alcohol during a meeting with Finance Minister Brian Cowen last month but added they would be making the same appeal to Mr Martin.
