Former minister for tourism and sport Leo Varadkar argued there was “no evidence” that a ban on sports sponsorship by drinks companies would help tackle excessive drinking among young people, new records show.
However, as Minister for Health, Mr Varadkar last month announced plans to restrict the exposure of young people to alcohol-related advertising and sponsorship .
Mr Varadkar’s spokesman has insisted the Minister’s stance was consistent and there was no conflict between his past and current positions on the issue.
The Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, published last month, will put in place minimum pricing for alcohol. It will also regulate alcohol advertising and sponsorship targeted at young people, including a broadcast watershed.
At the time of the Bill’s publication, Mr Varadkar said the new regulations will “ensure that children’s and young people’s exposure to alcohol marketing is considerably diminished”. But in a letter to the then minister for health James Reilly in March 2013, Mr Varadkar argued there was no evidence that children’s exposure to sports sponsorship by drinks companies was harmful.
He cited a report prepared by the Department of Children which showed a reduction over the previous decade in the proportion of young people who reported never having had an alcoholic drink.
Source: Carl O'Brien, Irish Times, 05/03/15
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