Watershed ban on TV and radio alcohol advertising to come into effect next month
Sarah Slater
A watershed ban on television and radio alcohol advertising is to be introduced next month when new legislation is enacted.
The aim is to protect children from exposure to alcohol advertising and to break any positive associations that may exist between alcohol and lifestyle.
On January 10th, the hours permitted under the Broadcast Watershed provision of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act restricts the hours permitted for advertising alcohol products on television and radio to reduce children’s exposure to alcohol advertisements.
In November last, then Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly commenced the Broadcast Watershed provision of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act. The Act was developed in 2018 to address the harmful consumption of alcohol in Ireland.
So far 28 of the 31 provisions of the Act have been commenced and of the three sections that remain to come into force section 13 of the Act regulates the content of advertisements for alcohol products and limits that content to factual information only.
In addition, advertisements for alcohol products will be required to include health warnings and details of the Health Service Executive (HSE) alcohol information website.
The aim is to protect children from exposure to alcohol advertising and to break any positive associations that may exist between alcohol and lifestyle, according to a Department of Health spokesperson.
“Work on the drafting of the advertising Regulations is continuing in conjunction with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel. Once finalised, the draft regulations will require submission to the EU Commission for assessment and once they have completed that process, they will require notification under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) process,” the department spokesperson explained.
“Section 18 of the Act introduces a restriction to alcohol advertisements in hardcopy publications sold in Ireland. The provision, while limited to print media, aims to reduce exposure to alcohol advertising.”
A former Lord Mayor of Dublin and Independent councillor Christy Burke has called for an advert for the Rockshore lager which features Boyzone singer Ronan Keating to be removed due to what he calls the “glamourisation of drinking”.
Rockshore, the Diageo-owned Irish lager and cider brand, unveiled the Christmas campaign last year.
In the new festive advert Keating, who hails from Dublin, shares a reworded version of the 1963 Christmas classic It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and shares the mic singing: “It’s the most wonderful time for a beer.”
However, the Dublin north inner city councillor believes the advert should be withdrawn from TV broadcasts. “The glamourisation of drinking by the creators of Rockshore should be withdrawn. I believe using a well-known figure such as Ronan Keating is trying to make drinking cool which of course would influence younger people.
“Mr Keating is an idol to a lot of people and of course children and younger age groups are going to take notice. Christmas can be a tough enough time for people domestically so glamourising drinking is not a good look,” Cllr Burke added.
Diageo has been contacted for comment.
