McDowell’s café bars ‘will worsen’ alcohol crisis

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell’s plan for continental-style café bars will worsen the country’s alcohol problem by making it more readily available, a member of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol has warned.

In bringing forward the proposal, Mr McDowell is ignoring the recommendations of the alcohol task force established by the Department of Health, according to Dr Joe Barry, a public health lecturer in Trinity College Dublin and member of the National Drugs Team.

He believes the new café bars will only add to the estimated €2.65 billion annual cost to the State of dealing with alcohol-related problems.

“The minister is going to have people drinking more; that is quite clear,” said Dr Barry.

The café bars, which would be less than 130 square metres in size, would have to offer hot food as well as alcohol, the minister’s hope being that this would inhibit binge drinking.

Dr Barry was a member of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol, which recommended the Government “restrict any further increase in the physical availability of alcohol (number of outlets, times of sale)”.

“This proposal contradicts the task force as it makes alcohol more available,” Dr Barry said.

“The whole thrust of the task force report is to restrict and regulate alcohol availability. It recommended restricting further availability.

“We will now have more outlets selling alcohol and therefore more sales.”

However, the Department of Justice last night said limiting the number of outlets was “not the same thing as limiting the availability of alcohol”.

“The inevitable result of limiting the number of licences has been the development of large ‘superpubs’ where compliance with, and enforcement of, the licensing laws becomes more difficult, and where large numbers coming on to the streets at the same time create the risk of public disorder and nuisance for local residents,” it added in a statement.

But Dr Barry warned the bill would do little to combat such outlets. “The suggestion of café bars would be fine if (the minister) was going to seriously try to change superpub culture, but he’s done nothing about superpubs. The drinks industry, as in the manufacturers, don’t want anything that will get in the way of their profits, so the Government really hasn’t taken them on,” he said.

However, Mr McDowell’s proposal was defended by solicitor Gordon Holmes, the former chairman of the Commission on Liquor Licensing.

The café bar licence is based on recommendations made by the commission, an advisory group established by the Department of Justice which issued its final report in April 2003.

“These are not intended as licences that will increase the availability of drink; they are intended as licences that will limit the use of drink,” he said.

Asked if the Tánaiste supported Mr McDowell’s proposal, a Department of Health spokesman last night said: “We see no conflict between changing the licensing regime and controlling alcohol consumption.”