Government going soft on drink abuse

THE Government has been accused by its own expert team on alcohol of giving in to the drinks industry lobby and going soft on alcohol abuse.

Members of the Strategic Alcohol Task Force last night came out in support of criticisms made by public health expert Dr Joe Barry who complained the work of the team had been “parked”.

One member said task force recommendations were ignored because they were “unpalatable” while another said members were “wasting their time”. They are concerned because:

The task force has been left without work for six months and does not know if it will be convened again.

Its last report, published in September, has not yet gone to Cabinet.

Its key recommendation that tax on drink be increased to discourage consumption was ignored in the Budget.

Mary Harney’s 10-point plan to tackle the A&E crisis had no measures to deal with the heavy demands created by drink-related incidents.

The task force was appointed three years ago amid concerns over drink-driving, overstretched hospitals, binge drinking and crime, which cost the economy 2.65 billion per year.

Initial recommendations in May 2002 led to measures including the abolition of happy hour promotions and a hefty hike in the price of alcopops. But members say that, faced with the formidable drinks lobby and fears of the “nanny state” label, the Government shied away from further restrictions on alcohol sales, stalled plans for random breath tests and rowed back on the 9pm ban on children in pubs.

Barnardos chief executive Owen Keenan, a task force member, sought a meeting with Justice Minister Michael McDowell to discuss the pub ban changes in October but got a letter yesterday saying he was too busy. “That reflects the fickle nature of Government policy,” Mr Keenan said. “There was a good response to the first report but the pendulum has swung back again. For that reason, I feel that I and other people on the task force are wasting our time.”

Another member, Dr Declan Bedford of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, said he was frustrated and “that would be the view of a considerable number of the members”.

“Political leadership on alcohol abuse is lacking. Our only vested interest in the health lobby is the health of the public. The drinks lobby is run by huge corporations with a bottom line to sell more drink and make more money yet it is the drinks lobby that has a disproportionate influence.”

The views echoed those of fellow task force member, Trinity College lecturer, Dr Barry, who will deliver a speech to the Royal College of Surgeons today, titled: Alcohol Policy: Serving Our Economy or Society?

“The answer is that it is designed to serve our economy but in fact neither side wins. The costs of alcohol-related harm outweigh the benefits,” he said.

The Drinks Industry Group of Ireland campaigned against Budget price hikes, warning the sector was the most heavily taxed in Europe and was worth over 2bn to the economy each year.

Junior Health Minister Sean Power said calls for price rises to deter drinkers were “over-simplistic” as the impact on inflation had to be considered. The Department of Health said the task force’s report would be brought to Cabinet and would “form the blueprint for a new Alcohol Action Plan”.