PARENTS WHO allow their teenage children to consume alcohol at home in a bid to foster responsible drinking may be contributing to substance abuse among young people, the Minister of State with responsibility for primary healthcare has said.
Róisín Shortall, Minister of State at the Department of Health, said she had noted an ambivalence among parents when it came to their children drinking at home. While she accepted that many who allowed the practice did so with the best intentions, she suggested they may be doing more harm than good.
“There is this relatively new idea that if young people are drinking at home then it is okay, because at least they are not out taking drugs. That needs to be challenged,” she said in an interview with The Irish Times.
Ms Shortall signalled the Government would tackle below-cost selling of alcohol. It was likely, in particular, to target tax anomalies which allow retailers claim VAT rebates if they voluntarily sell a product at a loss.
“I have been in touch with Michael Noonan about this. If a company is deliberately selling a product below cost then I do not think they should be allowed claim tax back on that product,” Ms Shortall said.
The Minister was speaking ahead of the publication of a report from the National Substance Misuse Strategy steering group later this month. The report will recommend controls on pricing and advertising and more strict enforcement of laws governing alcohol sales. It will be used as a central pillar of a Public Health Act which will be drawn up this summer before going before the Oireachtas in the autumn.
The price of alcohol has fallen dramatically in off-licences in recent years as retailers use cheap drink as a loss leader. “I have drawn attention to the damage alcohol is doing, but they are persistently selling it at below cost and there is no indication that they are willing to address the issue responsibly,” she said.
Alcohol was “arguably” doing more damage to young people than illegal drugs, she added. “Parents need to think of the example they are giving, both in the way they consume alcohol and the very high tolerance they have of young people drinking.”
She suggested many parents had become reluctant to say no to children during the boom – and this had grown into a “cultural nut that needs to be cracked”.
