No restrictions on alcohol adverts this year despite Ahern's hard line

GOVERNMENT proposals to restrict alcohol advertising will not be introduced this year, despite the Taoiseach's expressed view yesterday that the legislation will be published shortly.

The proposals to crack down on alcohol promotion to protect children arise from the report of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol, published a full year ago.

But the Department of Health confirmed yesterday that officials are still only doing preliminary work on the legislation and the laws appear nowhere on the Government's legislation programme running up to the summer.