Youth Council welcomes clamp down on alcohol promotions and cut price deals
April 6th 2009
The National Youth Council of Ireland welcomes and supports the announcement yesterday by Minister Dermot Ahern that regulations are being finalised to tackle below cost selling of alcohol in shops and supermarkets.
“This move by Government is a positive step in the right direction to stop retailers from using price promotions and cut price deals to sell alcoholic products. Extensive research has shown that an increase in price greatly reduces alcohol consumption and in turn alcohol-related harm. Young people are particularly price sensitive so these measures should serve to protect youth and help combat alcohol-related harm in Irish society,” stated Mary Cunningham, Director of the National Youth Council of Ireland.
The impact of alcohol is much more acute for young people and can have devastating long term health consequences. We are aware that young people as young as 12* have drunk alcohol and the impact on their health and well being is of major concern. In addition, risky drinking at a younger age has the potential to cause brain damage and creates a dependency on alcohol at a very impressionable age. Damage from alcohol use during adolescence can be long term and irreversible. Therefore, it is critically important to delay the age of onset of drinking by young people which we believe this new legislation will serve to do.
“However, there is still a lot more to do to tackle the high alcohol consumption and alcohol related harm in Ireland. The Government needs to look at introducing a statutory code for alcohol advertising, ban sponsorship of sporting events, the need for structural separation and look to restrict availability of alcoholic products minimum age and restrict the number of outlets and times of sales,” concluded Ms. Cunningham.
ENDS
For further information, please contact Clodagh O’Brien, Communications Officer at NYCI on 087 781 4903 or 01 425 5955 or email communications@nyci.ie
Notes to Editors:
*Irish Health Behaviour in School-aged children Study Report 2006
National Youth Council of Ireland
The National Youth Council of Ireland is a membership-led umbrella organisation that represents and supports the interests of 55 voluntary youth organisations and uses its collective experience to act on issues that impact on young people.