Extending opening hours will lead to more alcohol-related harm, expert warns

The criticism comes from Professor Emeritus Ton Babor at an event in Dublin organised by the Irish Community Action on Alcohol Network, Alcohol Action Ireland and Alcohol Forum Ireland.

In his analysis of the Sale of Alcohol Bill, Prof Babor – co-author of Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity – said there is now extensive scientific literature on the effects of the measures proposed in the law.

These include the extension of trading hours, the concentration of drinking outlets, lack of regulation of drink deliveries and the removal of limits on the number of on-licenses.

He said: “The evidence is that they cause increases in things such as alcohol-related disease, injuries, crime, public disorder, public safety and domestic violence.

“When alcohol consumption becomes the central organising feature, as reflected in the proposed Sale of Alcohol Bill, the social and recreational benefits can come at an enormous cost.

“Part of the cost is attributable to the need to improve urban management, urban infrastructure and public transportation services, environmental sanitation, personal security, police protection, emergency services and traffic management.

"Many cities in the UK, the EU and Australia have experienced epidemics of public intoxication following policy changes that were intended, just like the Sale of Alcohol Bill, to attract adults and youth to social and cultural events, but succeeded mainly in attracting youth out for a night of heavy drinking.

“A key question for the Republic of Ireland is whether the major changes proposed in the Sale of Alcohol Bill are likely to facilitate epidemics of binge drinking that have major implications for public health and social well-being.”

Dublin Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy said the evidence given by the expert must form part of the discussion on the Sale of Alcohol Bill.

Professor Frank Murray, chair of Alcohol Action Ireland, said: “The proposed Sale of Alcohol Bill contains measures which, if enacted as proposed, will result in increased alcohol harms and deaths in Ireland. In the face of a dreadful crisis in healthcare bed capacity, approximately 1,500 hospital beds are used every day for alcohol-related illnesses. Emergency departments currently at breaking point, are also hugely negatively impacted by alcohol use.

“A study in 29 emergency departments in Ireland found that alcohol accounted for 6pc of all patients presenting, with 57pc arriving by ambulance. In the early hours of Sunday morning, alcohol-related illnesses and injuries accounted for 29pc of all presentations.

“It is in this awful landscape of alcohol harms and deaths, that the Government is planning to increase the availability of alcohol in a misguided effort to stimulate the night-time economy, through significant extensions to opening hours and increases in both the number and type of venues permitting sale of alcohol. Such increases will predictably increase alcohol sales and with that will increase alcohol harms.

“We should bear in mind the fact that other jurisdictions are rowing back on liberalisation of night-time economies,” he added.