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AAI compares the promises on alcohol

Alcohol Action Ireland has collated the pledges made by each of the parties in advance of the forthcoming election and has called on all candidates to “save lives by making alcohol a top public health priority in their election campaigns”.

The promises made by the different parties are as follows:

Fine Gael:    

    * Ban the practice of below-cost selling on alcohol, particularly by large supermarkets

    * Publish a National Addiction Strategy that deals with both drugs and alcohol addiction

    * Legislate for the introduction of mandatory alcohol-testing at the scene of an accident very shortly after entering  

       government

    * Require all local and regional drugs taskforces to offer training and information to teachers and schools and liaise with 

       local HSE Drug Education Workers to support schools in a dedicated Alcohol and Drug Awareness Programme

    * Taxation on “import intensive” consumption: 25c on cigarettes and €1 on a bottle of wine by 2014

    * In favour of extending the opening hours of pubs and nightclubs, including the 1am closing time for clubs on Sunday nights

Labour:    

    * Tackle both drugs supply and demand through a revitalised National Drugs Strategy

    * Integrate drug and alcohol strategies at local level

    * Further restrict the sales of alcohol to under-age persons, notably in off-licence outlets

    * Work at EU level to develop a Europe-wide agreement to phase out or substantially reduce alcohol-related sponsorship of

       sports events

   * Extend pub and nightclub opening hours. Justice spokesman Pat Rabitte TD in favour of staggered opening hours of pubs

      and nightclubs from between 1am to 4am depending on details such as their location and access to public transport

Fianna Fail:     

    * Introduce health advice warnings on all alcohol containers/bottles

    * Ban alcohol advertising near schools and colleges

Sinn Fein:     

    * Address the large number of alcohol outlets by imposing further restrictions on them and giving more power to Joint

      Policing Committees and local authorities to decide on location and opening hours

AAI is calling for three key actions to reduce alcohol-related harm:

   *  introduce minimum pricing – a floor price beneath which alcohol cannot be sold
   *  an end to ‘light touch’ regulation
   *  restore slashed excise duty levels


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