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Objective and
rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: Ireland's
public health policy in relation to alcohol is to reduce consumption to 9.1
litres of pure alcohol per capita and the harms caused by alcohol. In 2015
alcohol consumption per adult was 10.9 litres (based on a CSO population
figure for over 15s of 3,606,200).
Ireland's
alcohol consumption is in the top 5 among EU 28 Member States. Although
alcohol consumption per capita declined between 2007 and 2015, it remains
high and the damaging dominance of a harmful drinking pattern remains very
high by European standards and is a major public health concern. Ireland was
second in the WHO European Region in relation to binge drinking with 39% of
the population misusing alcohol in this manner at least monthly. These
figures are reaffirmed in the Healthy Ireland survey which indicates that
drinking to excess on a regular basis is commonplace throughout the
population with almost 4 in 10 (39%) of drinkers binge drinking on a typical
drinking occasion and a quarter of them doing so at least once a week.
This pattern
of drinking is causing significant harm to individuals, their families and
society. It is estimated that alcohol :
·
was responsible
for at least 83 deaths: every month in 2011
·
was associated
with 8,836 attendances in 2012 to specialised addiction treatment centres
·
is involved in
one of every three poisoning deaths: in Ireland in 2012 and remains the
substance implicated in most poisonings (i.e. toxic effect of drugs in the
body)
·
was a
contributory factor in half of all suicides and in deliberate self-harm
·
is associated
with a risk of developing health problems such as alcohol dependence, liver
cirrhosis, cancer and injuries
·
is a factor in
many assaults, including sexual assaults, and in rape, domestic violence and
manslaughter;
·
contributes to
high levels of non-attendance at work and lower productivity
·
is associated
with college drop-out
·
is a factor in
30% of all road collisions and in 36.5% of fatal road collisions
The
HSE report "Alcohol Harm to Others" examines the damage that
alcohol causes in the general population, the workplace and children in
families. The report says that over one in four people in Ireland
reported experiencing negative consequences as a result of someone else's
drinking; one in ten Irish workers experienced negative consequences due to
co-workers who were heavy drinkers and one in ten Irish parents reported that
children experienced harm in the past 12 months: as a result of someone
else's drinking.
The
estimated cost to Irish society of problem alcohol use is € 2.35 billion,
with direct costs of € 1.74 billion (€ 793 million to the health care
system, € 686m on alcohol related crime, and € 258m in alcohol related
traffic accidents) and indirect costs of € 641 million (€ 195 million
due to absenteeism, € 185 million due to accidents at work, € 169 million due
to suicides and € 65 million due to premature mortality).
The
Steering Group Report on a National Substance Misuse Strategy (NSMS) was
published in 2012. The Report contains a range of recommendations to
reduce the consumption of alcohol in general. These recommendations are
grouped under the five pillars of Supply Reduction (availability),
Prevention, Treatment, Rehabilitation and Research. The Government approved
the publication of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill on the 08th December
2015. This is part of a suite of measures agreed by the Government in 2013 on
foot of the recommendations in the NSMS.
The Bill is one
of a number of measures being taken under the Healthy Ireland Framework. This
is the Government Framework which sets out a vision to improve the health and
wellbeing of all the population of Ireland by 2025. Healthy Ireland puts
forward "whole of society" approach and new arrangements to ensure
more effective co-operation to achieve better outcomes for all.
The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill provides for:
·
minimum unit
pricing
·
health
labelling on alcohol products
·
structural
separation
·
restrictions on
the advertising and marketing
·
regulation of
sponsorship
·
regulations
relating to the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol products.
Minimum
Unit Pricing is a targeted measure designed to prevent the sale of alcohol at
very cheap prices. MUP is aimed at those who drink in a harmful and hazardous
manner. Strong and cheap alcohol products are favoured by young people, who
have the least disposable income and the heaviest drinkers, who are most at
risk of alcohol-related illness and death.
Labelling
of alcohol products aims to ensure that consumers are provided with access to
health information on alcohol products. A recent review of evidence for
labelling on alcoholic products found that:
·
health warnings
are an effective way to inform all consumers of the risks associated with
alcohol
·
could
potentially reduce dangerous drinking behaviour and that
·
consumers
overwhelmingly support health warnings on alcohol products.(Martin-Moreno et
al, 2013)
Structural
separation restricts the display and advertisement of alcohol products in
mixed retail outlets. This is an important mechanism in de-normalising
alcohol and protecting children from overexposure.
There is a
compelling body of research evidence which shows that exposure to alcohol
marketing, whether it is on TV, in movies, in public places or alcohol
branded sponsorship, predicts future youth drinking. Numerous longitudinal studies
have found that young people who are exposed to alcohol marketing are more
likely to start drinking, or if already drinking, to drink more. Research
also shows that self-regulation is not able to protect young people from
exposure to large volumes of alcohol marketing and appealing alcohol
advertising.
The PHAB
places restrictions on broadcast advertising, cinema advertising, outdoor
advertising, print media, the content of alcohol advertisements and the
regulation of sponsorship by alcohol companies. These restrictions will
protect children from overexposure to alcohol marketing.
The Public
Health (Alcohol) Bill provides for the making of regulations to restrict the
sale, supply and consumption of alcohol products in certain circumstances. This
will allow for the regulation and prohibition of particular price promotions
– particularly those that encourage individuals to buy more alcohol than they
intended or to drink in a harmful manner.
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