The government-appointed expert on child law has warned there can be no ambivalence over alcohol advertising and sponsorship of sports events, even if it means “tough decisions” have to be made.
Geoffrey Shannon, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, outlined his views as he appeared before the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children regarding his most recent report.
That report claims there should be a complete overhaul of the Child Care Act, one of the main statutes underpinning child law for the past two decades, as well as calling for changes to how children in Direct Provision are treated and greater measures on internet safety.
Yesterday, Mr Shannon expanded on many of those themes and said much progress had been made in recent years, with more changes likely due to recently published bills, such as the recently published Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill.
However, there have been claims that the Government might “water down” proposals aimed at limiting or banning alcohol sponsorship of cultural and sporting events and on alcohol advertising in general.
Asked about this by Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy, Mr Shannon said: “We cannot have an ambivalent approach to alcohol and alcohol sponsorship, particularly in the area of sport.”
Source: Noel Baker, Irish Examiner, 30/01/15
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