'Shock tactic' TV ads on drunkenness urged

Youth poll reaction: The Government is to be asked to launch a "shock tactic" television advertising campaign depicting drunken teenagers in hospital accident and emergency wards.

News of the plan comes after yesterday's youth poll in The Irish Times revealed widespread drinking among teenagers.

The joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children is to present a report on underage drinking to the Government before the end of the year.

The committee's chairman, Mr Batt O'Keeffe TD (FF), last night told The Irish Times that one of the recommendations will be a call for the Government to launch the campaign aimed at teenagers. "Our committee has been most shocked by evidence given to us by people who work in accident and emergency wards at hospitals. They are surprised that some of the young people they see don't die because of the huge quantities of alcohol they consume."

Mr O'Keeffe said the committee was also examining a scheme in operation in the UK where every school has a designated health officer.

Such officers could work with local health promotion units in raising awareness of alcohol and healthy eating. The scheme could run under the auspices of a number of Government Departments, including Justice, Health, Education and Sport, he said.

The deputy Government Chief Whip, Mr Billy Kelleher TD, said the revelation that three out of five 15 to 17-year-olds drink alcohol "is not surprising but is unacceptable".

He said measures contained in the Intoxicating Liquor Act would allow for the closure of pubs found selling alcohol to minors.

"Parents, too, have an important role to play and I have long held the belief that it is the duty of a parent to know where teenagers are in the early evening and at night."

If the issue was not tackled now "we will be setting the country up for a whole range of social problems in the years ahead", he said.

Labour's spokesman on justice, Mr Joe Costello TD, described as "alarming" the findings of the youth poll.

He added that while some blame lay with publicans and off-licence owners, who sell alcohol to minors, the Government needed to take a harder line on under-age drinking.

"The Minister for Justice is seriously at fault in refusing to introduce measures to provide for traceability of alcohol sold in off-licences for consumption off the premises," he said.

Similarly, if young people were drinking up to eight pints in pubs, laws on the sale of alcohol were being broken.

Mr Costello said the Government also needs to embark on a major educational drive aimed at raising awareness among young people about the dangers of alcohol.

A levy should also be imposed on breweries and distilleries, with any revenue raised used for projects which encourage responsible drinking.

Young Fine Gael's vice-president, Ms Lucinda Creighton, said while young people now are "materially better off than ever" they are "lacking in anything to do other than go drinking".

"On a Saturday night in any given provincial town at 8 p.m., what is there to do for a 16-year-old person? There is a need to provide real alternatives for young people.

"A change in culture, with all the difficulties it poses, is what is most required. The Irish 'nation of drinkers' tag must be challenged. Our tendency to tolerate drunkenness must be addressed by leaders of society."

The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) said the Government should now formulate a comprehensive and coherent strategy to tackle substance abuse nationwide. NYCI president, Mr Kevin Hickey, said measures aimed at tackling drinking, smoking and drugs were happening in a "piecemeal fashion".

"The Government needs to reorganise itself. We need a national debate between policy- makers and industry and people who end up dealing with the fall-out on a daily basis."