Govt accused of abdicating responsibility on alcohol abuse

The organisation representing the off-licence trade has accused the Government of adopting a worryingly lax approach to Ireland's alcohol problem.

The National Off-Licence Association said today that the Government was not only fuelling the problem, but was also abdicating all responsibility for tackling the situation.

Speaking at the association's annual general meeting today, chairman John Shiel said alcohol was now more widely available in outlets like shops and petrol stations as a result of legislation introduced by the Government.

He said the abolition of the Groceries Order would add to this problem by allowing retailers to slash the price of drink in an attempt to attract customers.

Meanwhile, Mr Shiel also said the Government was failing to introduce meaningful initiatives like ID cards and price controls to tackle underage and binge drinking.

He said off-licences had requested a change to the law to restrict opening hours on St Patrick's Day, but Minister for Justice Michael McDowell had instead decided to rely on a voluntary closure sought by gardaí.

"What was needed was a total ban on selling alcohol during the early part of St Patrick's Day, but the Government for some unknown reason failed to take the necessary simple and logical steps," he said.

"It is now time for the Government to show some leadership and to take decisions which will achieve meaningful results, something that the present administration has abjectly failed to do."