Fall of booze curtains
Relief for small shops as strict display restrictions will be ditched in new Bill
THE battle over ‘booze curtains’ has ended with victory for small shops and their drinks company suppliers, the Irish Daily Mail has learned.
The planned ‘structural separation’ from groceries and other goods in the Alcohol Bill, originally sought from all retailers – including small – is to be replaced by other more acceptable options.
Amendments to be published to the Bill this week – in the absence of the Dáil on Halloween break – will provide a range of options to allay fears of new restrictions hitting small outlets, who would not have the same kind of space available to them as larger retailers.
Politicians from all parties had raised the prospect of a notional ‘Mrs Murphy’ being unable to display alcohol for sale in her small shop in rural Ireland as a result of the legislation.
Meanwhile, the big out-of-town multiple down the road would have a whole cavern offering every kind of concoction to adult shoppers even though they will be now all be required to be separated by a physical barrier.
Under the amendments, all retailers can now have the cabinet of shelving open, with alcohol products on display, while the fridge can have transparent plastic or glass, achieving the same effect. In both cases, the customer will easily be able to see the drinks available to buy, as would children to whom it cannot legally be sold.
Shop owners will also be permitted to conceal the alcohol for production on demand, to place it in a distinct cabinet or dedicated shelf, or to store it in its own fridge. The amendments will be published ahead of the Alcohol Bill returning to committee stage in the Seanad over two days next week, and will be enough to end a threatened impasse in the Upper House. The legislation also provides for minimum unit pricing for alcohol – but this will not push up the price of whiskey, vodka, wine, draught canned Guinness or other beers.
Its effect will mainly be to crack down on strong lager or fortified wine and to prevent own-brand discount selling.
The Irish Heart Foundation, the Irish College of Physicians, the Irish College of GPs, the Royal College of Surgeons and the Irish Medical Organisation are all behind the legislation. So too is the Irish Cancer Society – with voluminous recent research indicating that the consumption of even a moderate amount of alcohol on a regular basis significantly increases a drinker’s chances of developing cancer.
The legislation will not alter the age at which alcohol can be legally bought and consumed, which will remain at 18.
Reports to government indicate that 2,000 acute hospital beds are occupied on any given night due to alcohol-related problems.
Other parts of the legislation restrict alcohol advertising further, with a TV ad ban before the 9pm watershed.
And despite threats from the drinks industry that stringent new restrictions could face a challenge from the European courts under EU competition law, none are anticipated.
Crackdown on strong lager