Galway Alcohol Strategy to target price and availability

Price, availability and marketing in relation to alcohol are the biggest areas which need to be tackled, according to Galway Alcohol Strategy.
The group gave a presentation to members of the City Joint Policing Committee this week.
Evelyn Fanning told members that there are 281 licences for selling alcohol issued in the city.
A survey reveals that 1 in 4 people experience harm due to someone else’s drinking.
74 per cent of people surveyed say they would support a ban on alcohol advertising to young people.
Evelyn Fanning says that the focus going forward is on enforcement of the legal purchase age for alcohol, reduce the secondary purchase of alcohol by parents or siblings, identify hotspots in the city for public order offences and limit drinking in public places.
Councillor Frank Fahey said he would support raising the legal drinking age to 21, but Councillor Declan McDonnell disagreed and said that would only increase illegal drinking.
Councillor Padraig Conneely argued that most public events are now sponsored by drinks companies and the biggest tent at this year’s Christmas market in Eyre Square is the bier keller.
He said a lot of what is discussed surrounding tackling alcohol abuse is just ‘lip service’.
Chief Superintendent of Galway Garda division, Tom Curley told the JPC that gardaí are now enforcing new city council bye-laws regarding public drinking.
He added that people have to look out for each other on nights out, particularly as the festive period gets underway.
Gardaí told the JPC that they will be able to provide figures for tickets issued for illegal on-street drinking, now that new bye-laws are in place.