ANALYSISHalf-hearted policy measures have been re-heated and presented as a new drive to tackle alcohol misuse, writes Carl O'Brien
AND SO, it seems, the party's finally over. The Government yesterday said it will call time on unprecedented access to cheap alcohol. Off-licence opening hours will be curtailed. Drink will need to be displayed in a separate area in supermarkets. Gardaí will have tough new powers to tackle those who drink to excess.
Finally, politicians are getting to grips with the country's notoriously difficult relationship with drink.
That, at least, is the spin. But we can be forgiven for thinking we've heard much of it before. That's because, to a large extent, we have. Yesterday's package of measures consists of a series of mostly half-hearted policy measures which have been re-heated and presented as a bold new drive to tackle misuse of alcohol in society.
Some measures are already on the statute books, others have been recommended in previous advisory documents commissioned by the Government, while a few are watered-down versions of once-ambitious proposals.
Take one of the key aims of the measures: addressing the availability of alcohol in convenience stores, supermarkets, garage forecourts and convenience stores.
The liberalisation of liquor licensing which allows retailers to obtain beer and wine licences from the Revenue Commissioners has seen the number of outlets selling alcohol soar in recent years. Between 2003 and 2005, for example, the number of shops selling alcohol jumped by 35 per cent.
Judging by the tough-talking on the issue over the past, we might have expected a return to the model of the traditional off-licence. Instead, all these outlets will continue to supply alcohol. The only difference is all licences to sell alcohol will require a District Court certificate instead of being issued directly by the Revenue Commissioners. It's far from certain whether this will result in any meaningful drop in the number of licences granted.
The Government insists the grounds on which an objection may be made will include the existing number of off-licences in the area. Yet, to anyone familiar with the cursory nature in which most liquor licences are approved by the District Court, this is hardly a measure to inspire confidence.
Combating public order is another central aim of the proposals. There are measures to allow gardaí to seize drink from a person who appears to be under 18.
There will also be on-the-spot fines for people found to be intoxicated or disorderly in a public place.
Yet the law on seizing drink merely clarifies an aspect of the existing law over which there was some doubt, according to gardaí. On-the-spot fines sound like a bold move, until you realise they were announced with fanfare by the previous minister for justice Michael McDowell about four years ago.
Tackling extended opening hours in order to combat public disorder is another key aim. Again, we might have been led to believe there would be staggered closing hours to prevent hundreds of boozed-up pub-goers emptying on to the streets at the same time.
Instead, a loophole which has allowed a handful of nightclubs to use theatre licences operate beyond normal closing hours will be closed off. This will hardly usher in a new era of responsible drinking. (If anything, it will lead to even more people emptying out on to the streets at the same time.)
To be fair to Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan, he stressed yesterday that the measures were the first steps in implementing the findings of the Alcohol Advisory Group. The terms of reference of the group were relatively limited, too, and did not stray into areas such as alcohol advertising and sponsorship. But the Government had a chance to deal with these wider issues on a number of occasions over the last decade.
Two strategic taskforce reports on alcohol have come and gone, and their recommendations to increase prices, reduce the availability of points of sale and tighten controls on advertising remain largely unimplemented.
For example, the Taoiseach's pledge in 2003 to strictly regulate the marketing of alcohol was ditched in favour of allowing the industry to regulate itself.
Furthermore, concern over the availability of cheap alcohol follows on from the Government's own decision to axe the grocery order and liberalise the off-licence market.
Clearly, alcohol abuse is a deadly serious problem. Just this week a Health Service Executive (HSE) report contained a series of other jolting reminders of danger of alcohol abuse. It found that almost half of those who commit murder or manslaughter were drunk at the time of their crimes; a quarter of severe domestic abuse cases took place while the perpetrators were under the influence of alcohol.
Young people in Ireland are among the highest binge drinkers in Europe, while Ireland as a whole spends more on alcohol than any other EU member state.
The solution, as the chairman of the Alcohol Advisory Group Gordon Holmes suggested yesterday, may lie in drawing up a national alcohol strategy which would involve all relevant Government departments and which is overseen by the Taoiseach's office.
A supply of bold and ambitious thinking will be needed as well. But strong political leadership - such as a willingness to tackle vested interests and take steps which may prove politically unpopular - will be required in even greater supply.
Carl O'Brien is social affairs correspondent of The Irish Times