Alcohol ads to be banned near schools and playgrounds

ALCOHOL advertising will be banned from sites near chools and playgrounds and restricted on radio and television broadcasts, under legislation being drawn up by the Government.

A Department of Health working group has spent the past year compiling proposals to regulate alcohol advertising, which is blamed for a sharp rise in underage and excessive drinking.

The bill is expected to contain the following measures:

"Two-for-one" offers and other marketing promotions which encourage excessive drinking will be made illegal.

The Department of Health believes outdoor advertising of alcohol products on bus shelters, public buses and billboards has reached "saturation level". This will be restricted, most likely with a quota system.

Rather than banning all alcohol advertising before the 9pm television watershed, a system of audience profiling will be used. Programmes watched by a high percentage of people under the age of 18 will not be accompanied by alcohol advertising.

Audience profiling will also apply to cinemas, which will lead to a significant reduction in the number of alcohol adverts screened.

The Strategic Task Force on Alcohol recommended a complete ban on the drinks industry's sponsorship of children and teenagers' leisure activities. But this controversial issue, which could affect events like the Guinness Hurling Championship and the Witnness festival, has yet to be discussed with the industry.

However, the department is anxious to follow both the task force's recommendation and the Irish Sport's Council's code of ethics for children in sport. This states that leaders in children's sport should refrain from seeking sponsorship from the alcohol and tobacco industries.

Earlier this week, the drinks and advertising industries met with the Department of Health to put forward their proposals on alcohol-related sponsorship.

Both sectors initially strongly opposed changes to advertising and marketing regulations. But the Department of Health said there had been a "significant shift" in attitude since.

"The advertisers and the drinks industry recognise they have a social responsibility in this area," said a department spokesman.

The department has welcomed the industry's introduction of a copy clearance group which vets alcohol advertisements and has led to a significant drop in consumer complaints.

The legislation restricting alcohol advertising is expected to pass through the Dáil in the autumn.

The legislation will also confer powers on Health Minister, Martin, allowing him to introduce regulations at a later date to force industry compliance on certain issues.

For example, if agreement cannot be reached on banning sponsorship, the minister will be able to introduce regulations to that effect instead. The smoking ban legislation was put through in a similar way via a regulation from the Tobacco Act (2002).

Mr Martin will also be influenced by the final report of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol in April, which is expected to recommend the introduction of health warnings on bottles and cans of alcohol.