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Youth group concerned by alcohol watchdog's headquarters (Irish Examiner)
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Irish Examiner > Breaking News > Youth group concerned by alcohol watchdog's headquarters
Youth group concerned by alcohol watchdog's headquarters
A youth group said tonight it was baffled by the decision to locate an alcohol advertising watchdog in the headquarters of an advertising industry body.
The Alcohol Marketing and Communications Monitoring Body (AMMCB) was set up to protect children from advertising by drinks companies.
But Youth Work Ireland (YWI) said it was unacceptable that the body was located in the headquarters of the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland.
“We always assumed it would be located in the Department of Health or the HSE. It is to do with advertising, but for the sake of appearance, they should have steered clear of putting it in a location which is financed by the advertising industry,” said spokesman Michael McLoughlin.
Youth Work Ireland became aware of the location of the watchdog when it sought to complain about billboards displaying drink advertisements less than 100 metres from two schools in north Dublin.
It was informed by the Department of Health that any complaints to the AMMCB should be sent to IPC House in Shelbourne Road in Dublin (the ASAI’s address).
Mr McLoughlin said the ASAI had been involved in lobbying against proposals to introduce legislation to regulate alcohol advertising and added that there was a conflict of interest in the location of the watchdog within its headquarters.
“We were told by Tánaiste Mary Harney that this body would be independent and contribute to the reduction of the exposure of young people to alcohol advertising. Yet we now discover that the body is to be headquartered in an organisation funded and supported by the very advertisers it needs to be restricting,” he said.
The AMMCB’s task is to ensure that advertisers comply with a voluntary code which limits the exposure of young people to alcoholic drink ads in cinemas, on television, on radio and on"outdoor media", such as bus shelters.
Health Minister Mary Harney decided to set it up last December rather than proceed with alcohol advertising legislation which had been drafted by her predecessor Micheal Martin.
But the Irish Medical Organisation was strongly critical, saying that Ms Harney had bowed to pressure from the drinks industry.
The ASAI said it was providing secretarial services for the AMMCB and a location for its meetings.
“It’s self regulation and we’re involved in self-regulation, so we didn’t see any contradiction in that. All we’re doing is providing is secretarial services, it’s not like we’re running it,” said chief executive Frank Goodman.
He said the body was chaired by Peter Cassells, the experienced trade union negotiator, and had a representative from the advertising industry, the drinks industry, the Department of Health and the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.
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