TÁNAISTE EAMON Gilmore has insisted there is “no slippage” in the Government’s plan to ban sports sponsorship by the alcohol industry, despite Minister of State for Health Róisín Shortall’s admission it could take 10 years.
Mr Gilmore said Ms Shortall, who has responsibility for primary care, was preparing a memorandum for Government with proposals on how to phase out such sponsorship over a period of time.
“There’s no slippage. Róisín Shortall is taking a very courageous stand on an issue that has been neglected in Ireland for a very long time and she has my full support and the full support of the party in doing that,” he said.
“The position is that there was a consultation paper which Minister Shortall made available publicly and [she] has got observations on it and, as I understand it, she’s preparing a memorandum for Government with proposals as to how that is to be carried forward.”
Ms Shortall said last week she was confident that sponsorship of sporting events by drinks firms would be prohibited, but said the deadline for implementation would be close to a decade in some cases.
She said she was working with national sporting bodies to agree how to phase out the sponsorship, as contractual arrangements were in place at present.
Fianna Fáil TD Charlie McConalogue has questioned the Government’s commitment to banning the sponsorship. He highlighted an incident in his Donegal constituency last October when, he said, 26 students were checked into Letterkenny General Hospital’s emergency department on one night for alcohol poisoning.
