STEP 2

Choose who to email

STEP 3

Send your email

You can use the draft below to form the basis of your email or you can delete it and write your own.

Each email will be automatically addressed to the individual recipients, so there is no need to include a salutation (.e.g. Dear Deputy Marshall), and will be signed off using the name and address details you provided above, so there is also no need to include a valediction (e.g. Yours etc.)

I am writing to you to express my deep concern regarding the continuing level of alcohol harm in our communities, which now needs urgent action. For over 500 days, since it was first introduced, the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill has languished in the Oireachtas and continually faced extraordinary delay. Meanwhile, alcohol harm in Ireland continues to claim three lives every day. It is responsible for a significant burden of ill-health, placing a constant strain on our health services, where hundreds of beds every day are occupied by people with wholly attributable alcohol-related conditions, at an estimated public cost of €1.5 billion annually. Assessing a wider set of cost implications to include current public expenditure in Justice, Children, Social Protection the estimated cost is €2.35bn. Alcohol plays a major role in serious issues such as drink-driving, assaults, suicide, self-harm, domestic violence, and child welfare and protection. In short, the cost of excessive alcohol consumption is a major drain on current public expenditure: for €100m of public monies spent, €4.6m will be deployed to mitigate the harmful outcomes of alcohol consumption. It is also important you remember that the harm that is caused by our excessive drinking extends far beyond the individual who is drinking, impacting on their families, and others, our businesses, communities, hospitals and schools. In 2016 alone, 283,866 work days were lost to alcohol related absenteeism, while inexcusably 60,000 children will have commenced their drinking ‘careers’. I strongly believe the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill can, for the first time ever, establish a set of measures, which when taken together, will provide a reasonable and pragmatic means to achieving a reduction in alcohol consumption in Ireland so reducing alcohol harms and the related socio-economic impact. As my representative, I urge you to please support the implementation of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, in full, as it is only through our legislators introducing evidence-based policies that we can reduce the burden of alcohol harm on our society, improving health, safety and wellbeing for all. Thank you.

By clicking Send you agree to the terms, which can be reviewed here

Send