Ease of access to corridors of power in Ireland enables alcohol industry to drive harms and inequities in a political and economic system that privileges corporations at the expense of public health
Alcohol Action Ireland has consistently highlighted the influence the alcohol industry wields on the corridors of power in Ireland, and now an original piece of academic research, ‘Assessing alcohol industry penetration and government safeguards: the International Alcohol Control Study’, reinforces our concerns.[1] The study, published in the British Medical Journal, reveals worrying levels of alcohol industry penetration in the formulation of government alcohol policy in Ireland.
The research is the first study to measure the extent of alcohol industry penetration of policy-making environments and outlines how the alcohol industry is enabled in driving harms and inequities by a political and economic system that privileges corporations at the expense of public health.[2] The study involved researchers in 24 countries, including five European states, and analysed the activities employed by the alcohol industry aimed at exerting influence on the policy environment, and the presence, or lack thereof, of government safeguards that limit potential influence.[3]
In terms of industry penetration, jurisdictions were assessed against five key indicators. Ireland was the only European state to record alcohol industry penetration across all five indices, including areas such as government granting incentives, privileges, or benefits to the alcohol industry and alcohol industry participation in alcohol policy formulation.
| Indicators of alcohol industry penetration [4] | Ireland |
| The presence of transnational alcohol corporations; | Yes |
| Alcohol industry participation in alcohol policy formulation, implementation, or enforcement; | Yes |
| Government partnerships or agreements with the alcohol industry; | Yes |
| Government granting incentives, privileges, or benefits to alcohol industry, | Yes |
| Government officials or politicians with current or former roles in the alcohol industry. | Yes |
AAI is completely unsurprised by the findings of this research in relation to Ireland. As previously stated, we have consistently raised concerns regarding the power and influence the alcohol industry wields at governmental level. For instance, between 2020 and 2024, the Department of Justice held 48 meetings with various organisations and bodies in relation to the Sale of Alcohol Bill – draft legislation seeking to extend the opening hours for licensed premises throughout the state.[5] Of these meetings, just 2% were with public health organisations, while 18% were with industry. We only know this because AAI obtained the redacted records of these meetings using the only government safeguard against industry influence which the research found present in Ireland – a Freedom of Information request for information recorded on the Register of Lobbying.
As with their efforts to measure industry penetration of government policy and decision-making, the researchers also had five key indicators to measure government safeguards to limit industry influence. Across the five indices, which included measures such as policies that limit government interactions with alcohol industry and policies that prohibit contributions from alcohol industry to government, the study found only a single safeguard present in Ireland.[6]
| Indicators of government safeguards [7] | Ireland |
| Policies that limit government interactions with alcohol industry; | No |
| Policies that prohibit contributions from alcohol industry to government; | No |
| Policies that prohibit contributions from alcohol industry to political parties; | No |
| Policies that prohibit contributions from alcohol industry to politicians and | No |
| Policies that require government or politicians to make public records of meetings or interactions with alcohol industry. | Yes |
However, even this one paltry safeguard against industry penetration of government policy formulation and decision making can be undermined and eroded. As previously reported in Industry Watch, when records were sought of a meeting between Drinks Ireland, a lobby group for the alcohol industry in Ireland, and Robert Watt, Secretary General of the Department of Health, the response was that no records existed – despite the Register of Lobbying having stated a meeting took place.[8] Responses to Parliamentary Questions on this issue noted that there was a meeting between Robert Watt and the drinks industry, but no minutes were kept as it was an ‘informal meeting’. [9]
This incident strikes to the heart of the alcohol industry’s penetration of policy and decision-making at the highest levels of government. When Drinks Ireland sought a meeting with Robert Watt, they cited what they called a ‘lack of engagement’ with the alcohol industry. Why the alcohol industry would think that the Department of Health should engage with them is one thing, but the bigger question is why the Sec Gen of the Dept of Health would meet with an industry that only seeks to stymie, delay and water down public health measures such as the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018, and why would the most senior official in the Department of Health fail to record minutes of the meeting?
In the absence of greater national safeguards, efforts have been made to implement protections at a local level. For instance, in email exchanges obtained by AAI through FOI requests we can see that officials in the Department of Health, under the guidance of the Chief Medical Officer, have non-engagement policies with the alcohol industry.[10] A very clear policy by the HSE has been in place since 2015 which formally separates HSE public health advice from partnership with the alcohol industry.[11] Unfortunately, as outlined above, such policies have been undermined by the most senior official in the Department of Health.
However, industry hold over politics, decision making, and government goes even further, as evidenced by the decision of the Minister for Health to acquiesce to industry demands for a meeting in 2024. Shockingly, this meeting happened despite the office of the Minister for Health being warned that “…that there is a long-standing directive from the CMO that officials in the Department do not engage with industry which has been in place for many years.”.[12] Indeed, this was not the first time Ministers in the Department of Health had been warned against meeting the alcohol industry. Writing to the office of the Minister of State for Public Health in May 2023 the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Unit warned:
“If the Minister wishes someone from this unit to attend a meeting with the alcohol industry, we will need a written instruction from the current Chief Medical Officer that this longstanding policy has been reversed and that the Department of Health now engages with the alcohol industry. It is worth noting here that the HSE has a similar non-engagement policy with the alcohol industry since 2015 so the Department and the HSE would be out of step if such a change were to be made.” [13]
Nevertheless, the Minister persevered and on 28th August 2024 held a meeting with the drinks lobby. At that meeting industry representatives called for the Minister “…to look at the Public Health Alcohol Act through the prism of where we are now rather than where we were historically.”.[14] Highlighting a reduction in alcohol consumption has been a go-to tactic by the alcohol industry over the past number of years, however, the industry continuously ignores regulatory factors, such as the PHHA’s minimum unit pricing, for the modest decrease from record high levels of consumption and that Ireland is still consuming alcohol at a level 40% above HSE lower-risk drinking guidelines.
| Meeting Agenda[15] |
| Outline Drinks Ireland policy priorities document (Pride of Place) Discussion on implementation of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act (PHAA) – line of sight on roll-out of remaining provisions, implementation issues associated with new labelling provisions. Future engagement between drinks manufacturing industry and Department of Health |
At the meeting with the Minister for Health the industry also raised the level of regulation in the sector and questioned the need for aspects of alcohol labelling due to be rolled out in May 2026.[16] Furthermore, the alcohol industry sought a liaison in the Department of Health and for ongoing engagement with the drinks industry regarding future public health regulations in relation to alcohol.[17]
That meeting is exactly why Ireland proved itself to be the most industry penetrated state amongst the European jurisdictions analysed in the International Alcohol Control Study. Such access has the effect of stymieing progress in tackling the multiple issues around alcohol in Ireland with policy makers absorbing industry narratives and being deflected from taking the common-sense measures that have widespread public support such as controls on alcohol advertising and licensing hours.
The incoming government would do well to heed the conclusions laid out in the International Alcohol Control Study, specifically that stronger measures are needed to protect policies from alcohol industry influence, including restricting interactions and partnerships with the alcohol industry, limiting political contributions, and enhancing transparency.[18]
[1] Yue Yan Leung, J. (2024). Assessing alcohol industry penetration and government safeguards: the International Alcohol Control Study. BMJ Global Health 2024; 9:e016093. Available here: https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/9/11/e016093.full.pdf
[2] Yue Yan Leung, J. (2024). Assessing alcohol industry penetration and government safeguards: the International Alcohol Control Study. BMJ Global Health 2024; 9:e016093. Available here: https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/9/11/e016093.full.pdf
[3] Yue Yan Leung, J. (2024). Assessing alcohol industry penetration and government safeguards: the International Alcohol Control Study. BMJ Global Health 2024; 9:e016093. Available here: https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/9/11/e016093.full.pdf
[4] Yue Yan Leung, J. (2024). Assessing alcohol industry penetration and government safeguards: the International Alcohol Control Study. BMJ Global Health 2024; 9:e016093. Available here: https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/9/11/e016093.full.pdf
[5] Alcohol Action Ireland. (2024). Claims and ‘counter’ claims – Alcohol industry’s internal disagreements regarding Sale of Alcohol Bill highlight ill-considered nature of proposed legislation. Available at: https://alcoholireland.ie/claims-and-counter-claims-alcohol-industrys-internal-disagreements-regarding-sale-of-alcohol-bill-highlight-ill-considered-nature-of-proposed-legislation/
[6] Yue Yan Leung, J. (2024). Assessing alcohol industry penetration and government safeguards: the International Alcohol Control Study. BMJ Global Health 2024; 9:e016093. Available here: https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/9/11/e016093.full.pdf
[7] Yue Yan Leung, J. (2024). Assessing alcohol industry penetration and government safeguards: the International Alcohol Control Study. BMJ Global Health 2024; 9:e016093. Available here: https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/9/11/e016093.full.pdf
[8] Alcohol Action Ireland. (2024). Many questions to be asked about meeting with alcohol industry reps and secretary general of the Department of Health. Available here: https://alcoholireland.ie/many-questions-to-be-asked-about-meeting-with-alcohol-industry-reps-and-secretary-general-of-the-department-of-health/
[9] https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2024-04-09/1360/
[10] Alcohol Action Ireland FOI document. (2024). Available here: https://alcoholireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Alcohol-Action-Ireland-Freedom-of-Information-Request-Information.pdf
[11] https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/26972/1/HSE-Alcohol-Partnership-Policy.pdf
[12] Alcohol Action Ireland FOI document. (2024). Available here: https://alcoholireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Alcohol-Action-Ireland-Freedom-of-Information-Request-Information.pdf
[13] Alcohol Action Ireland FOI document. (2024). Available here: https://alcoholireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Alcohol-Action-Ireland-Freedom-of-Information-Request-Information.pdf
[14] Alcohol Action Ireland FOI document. (2024). Available here: https://alcoholireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Alcohol-Action-Ireland-Freedom-of-Information-Request-Information.pdf
[15] Alcohol Action Ireland FOI document. (2024). Available here: https://alcoholireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Alcohol-Action-Ireland-Freedom-of-Information-Request-Information.pdf
[16] Alcohol Action Ireland FOI document. (2024). Available here: https://alcoholireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Alcohol-Action-Ireland-Freedom-of-Information-Request-Information.pdf
[17] Alcohol Action Ireland FOI document. (2024). Available here: https://alcoholireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Alcohol-Action-Ireland-Freedom-of-Information-Request-Information.pdf
[18] Yue Yan Leung, J. (2024). Assessing alcohol industry penetration and government safeguards: the International Alcohol Control Study. BMJ Global Health 2024; 9:e016093. Available here: https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/9/11/e016093.full.pdf
