To:
An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, TD
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin, TD
Minister for the Environment, Climate, Communications and Transport, Eamon Ryan, TD
As health, social and community organisations and advocates (79), we are coming together to voice our strong opposition to proposed measures in the Sale of Alcohol bill that will dramatically increase the number of venues serving alcohol, as well as significantly extending the opening hours of pubs, bars and nightclubs.
Ireland has just begun to make tentative progress towards the goal of reducing alcohol consumption with drinking levels falling slowly on a population level thanks to the measures of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act, 2018 (PHAA).
The important, evidence-based measures contained within the PHAA were debated for many years, were hard fought and won in the face of significant industry opposition. Its modest regulations are still not fully implemented despite this being a commitment in the Programme for Government. Now, however, the government appears set to undo all the good work achieved over many years by swiftly passing a bill to further liberalise the sale of alcohol across the country.
That this is being done without carrying out a Health Impact Assessment, as recommended by the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Justice who carried out pre-legislative scrutiny of the bill – and even by those who support the measures – is inexcusable.
This alarming change of tack in alcohol policy has been done completely in the face of
a comprehensive body of evidence and particularly highlighted by the World Health Organisation in a recent report that shows extending alcohol availability and trading hours increases:
- the burden on public services such as ambulance services, Emergency Departments and Gardaí.
- crime
- domestic violence
- sexual violence
- road deaths
For example: International evidence suggests that a one-hour extension of alcohol trading hours is likely to lead to:
- 16% increase in alcohol related crime
- 30% increase in traffic collisions in rural areas
- 34% increase in alcohol related injuries requiring hospital treatment
Furthermore, it does not solve the problem of crowds spilling onto the streets at closing time; it merely shifts the problem later into the night.
These are some of the immediate consequences and does not consider other health harms from increased alcohol consumption such as cancer, heart and liver disease and very substantial mental health problems. Children and families will also bear the brunt of this proposed bill. At least 200,000 children are currently growing up with problem alcohol use in the home and Ireland is estimated to have a prevalence rate of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) of 2.8-7.4% of the population – the third highest rate in the world.
The proposals in this bill will have impacts across multiple government departments with long lasting consequences. Government and politicians must operate in evidence-based policy making and consider these issues with full facts, not just the views of vested interests. At the very least, fully costed data is required for planning across services.
A Health Impact Assessment is a practical approach used to judge the potential health effects of a proposed policy, programme or project on a population, particularly on vulnerable or disadvantaged groups.
This bill also presents an opportunity to make statutory provision for the systematic collation of relevant data around alcohol and its harms. Once we measure it, we can manage and ameliorate.
Alcohol is an addictive, psychoactive, toxic, carcinogen which already causes four deaths every day, necessitates the use of 1500 hospital beds daily, as well as bringing devastation to families, disruption to workplaces and placing an enormous burden on our public services of at least €3.7 billion annually.
We the undersigned are urgently and collectively calling on this government to do the right thing and carry out a Health Impact Assessment of this legislation without further delay.
ENDS
- Dr Sheila Gilheany, CEO, Alcohol Action Ireland
- Prof Frank Murray, Chair, Alcohol Health Alliance Ireland
- Paula Leonard, CEO, Alcohol Forum
- Cllr Vincent Jackson, Chair, Ballyfermot Local Drug and Alcohol Taskforce
- Hugh Greaves, Coordinator, Ballymun Local Drug and Alcohol Taskforce
- Suzanne Connolly, CEO, Barnardos
- Prof John Ryan, Consultant Hepatologist and Founding Director, Irish Liver Foundation Charity, Beaumont Hospital
- Colm Walsh, Coordinator, Bray Local Drug and Alcohol Taskforce
- Tanya Ward, Chief Executive, Children’s Rights Alliance
- Trevor Bissett, Coordinator, Clondalkin Drug & Alcohol Task Force CLG
- Andrea Ryder, Manager Communication, External Affairs & Policy, College of Psychiatrists of Ireland
- Martin O’Connor, Assistant CEO, COPE Galway
- Gordon Kinsley, Cork and Kerry, Alcohol Strategy Group
- Aaron O’Connell, Chair, Cork Local Drug and Alcohol Taskforce
- Orlaith Kennedy, CEO, Dental Health Foundation
- Jim Ryan, Chairperson, DLR Drug & Alcohol Task Force
- Carol Moore, Trustee, Dual Diagnosis Ireland
- Damien Lynch and Dominic Foley, Chair and Honorary Secretary, Environmental Health Association of Ireland
- Fergal Landy, Chief Executive Officer, Family Resource Centres National Forum
- Scott Casson-Rennie, COO, FASD Ireland
- Evelyn Fanning, Chairperson Galway City Alcohol Forum
- Dr Caitríona McCarthy, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, HSE National Cancer Control Programme
- Dr Brian Osborne, Assistant Medical Director, ICGP
- Dr Owen Keane, Honorary Secretary of IAEM and Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Irish Association of Emergency Medicine
- Irish Cancer Prevention Network
- Amy Rose Harte, Head of Advocacy Campaigns, Irish Cancer Society
- Orla Fagan, National Lead, Irish Community Action on Alcohol (AFI)
- Chris Macy, Director of Advocacy and Patient Support, Irish Heart Foundation
- Dr John Cannon, President, Irish Medical Organisation
- Donna Price, Founder and Chairperson, Irish Road Victims Association
- Caroline Kennedy-Crawford, President, Irish Student Health Association
- Caroline O’Sullivan, Director of Services, ISPCC
- Marie Keating Foundation
- Prof Stephen Stewart, Consultant Hepatologist, Mater Hospital
- Colin Fowler, Director of Operations, Men’s Health Forum Ireland
- Fiona Coyle, CEO, Mental Health Reform
- Michael Lacey and Helen Ryan, Chairperson and Coordinator, Mid-West Regional Drug and Alcohol Forum
- Philip Maree, Service Lead, M-PACT, Moving Parents and Children Together
- Dr Eve Griffin, CEO, National Suicide Research Foundation
- Orla O’Connor, Director, National Women’s Council of Ireland
- John Williams, Operations Manager, No Name Club
- Andy Ogle, Coordinator, North Eastern Regional Drug & Alcohol Task Force
- Susan Gray, Founder and Chairperson, PARC Road Safety Group
- Emmet Major, Planet Youth Coordinator, Western Region, Planet Youth
- Dr Maria O’Dwyer National Coordinator, Prevention and Early Intervention Network
- Dr Clíona Saidléar, Executive Director, Rape Crisis Network Ireland
- Siobhán Creaton, Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
- Mary McDermott, CEO, Safe Ireland
- Ailbhe Smyth, Patron, Silent Voices, an initiative of Alcohol Action Ireland
- Keith Cassidy, Clinic Manager, Smarmore Castle Treatment Centre
- Gordon Kinsley, Development Worker, Southern Regional Drug and Alcohol Taskforce
- Grace Hill, Coordinator, Tallaght Drug & Alcohol Task Force
- Dr Frank Houghton, Director- Social Sciences ConneXions, Technological University of the Shannon
- Prof Norah Campbell, Trinity Business School and Co-Lead on the Commercial Determinants of Health Lab, Trinity College Dublin
- Dr Zubair Kabir, Senior Lecturer: Public Health & Epidemiology, University College Cork
- Prof Orla Crosbie, Consultant Hepatologist, University College Cork
- Prof Ray Walley, GP and Assoc. Clinical Professor General Practice, University College Dublin
- Paddy Creedon, Chair, Voices of Recovery, an initiative of Alcohol Action Ireland
- Joe O’Neill, Chair, Western Region Drug and Alcohol Taskforce
- Dr Hugh Gallagher, Integrated Alcohol Service, Addiction Services Dublin North City & County
- Marianne Beasley, Planning Law & Environmental Mgt. Consultant. Legal, Mediation & Arbitration Services
- John and Anne Higgins, Public Health Advocates, Ballina Co. Mayo
- Carol Fawsitt, Co-founder, Silent Voices; Former chair, Alcohol Action Ireland
- Anthony Cotter, Former Regional Director in the Probation Service, Dept of Justice
- Patricia Kelly, Rhode, Co. Offaly
- Angela King, Dublin 2
- Dr Mary T O’Mahony, consultant in public health medicine
- Mick Devine, specialist in addiction treatment
- John Molloy, retired consulting engineer
- Dudley Potter, retired solicitor
- Jennifer Moran Stritch, lecturer and researcher, Technological University of the Shannon, Midlands Midwest
- Dr Cate Hartigan, (RGN), retired health care professional
- Dr Gillian Shorter, reader in clinical psychology, Queen’s University Belfast
- Dr. Monica O’Mullane, Health Research Board emerging investigator for health, University College Cork
- Michael Router, Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh
- Professor Colin O’Gara, Consultant Psychiatrist, Head of Addiction Services, Saint John of God Hospital
- Jacqueline Daly, Drug / Alcohol Prevention Project, Cork City Partnership CLG
- Cork Healthy Cities, Cork city
- Dr Anne Sheahan, area director of public health, HSE SW and national specialty director for public health medicine
