An Examination of the Enforcement of Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018: A Paper Tiger

Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 has been heralded as a crucial step in alcohol control. However, the application of such legislation must necessarily involve recourse to the full means of enforcement and deterrence provided by the Act. This research, which is based on four Freedom of Info...

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Main Authors: Frank Houghton, John Lombard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AVES Yayincilik 2024-12-01
Series:Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions
Online Access:https://www.addicta.com.tr/en/an-examination-of-the-enforcement-of-ireland-s-public-health-alcohol-act-2018-a-paper-tiger-13393
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author Frank Houghton
John Lombard
author_facet Frank Houghton
John Lombard
author_sort Frank Houghton
collection DOAJ
description Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 has been heralded as a crucial step in alcohol control. However, the application of such legislation must necessarily involve recourse to the full means of enforcement and deterrence provided by the Act. This research, which is based on four Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests, examined data on Environmental Health Service inspections and enforcement actions between 2019 and 2023, as they related to the 2018 Act. Although compliance rates have improved over time, they remain below 86% and appear to be plateauing. It is notable that in four full years of operation, no convic- tions for summary or indictable offences related to the Act were recorded, despite over 1900 inspections reporting non-compliance. More robust enforcement actions are appropriate to promote adherence to the Act. Authorized officers should ensure that all enforcement fully complies with the Act by publishing and maintaining a transparent register of actions taken.
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series Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions
spelling doaj-art-ba894701edcd416db99f70bbd331ce222025-01-15T13:26:28ZengAVES YayincilikAddicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions2149-13052024-12-0111332433010.5152/ADDICTA.2024.24165An Examination of the Enforcement of Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018: A Paper TigerFrank Houghton0John Lombard1Technological University of the Shannon, Limerick, IrelandSchool of Law, University of Limerick, Limerick, IrelandIreland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 has been heralded as a crucial step in alcohol control. However, the application of such legislation must necessarily involve recourse to the full means of enforcement and deterrence provided by the Act. This research, which is based on four Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests, examined data on Environmental Health Service inspections and enforcement actions between 2019 and 2023, as they related to the 2018 Act. Although compliance rates have improved over time, they remain below 86% and appear to be plateauing. It is notable that in four full years of operation, no convic- tions for summary or indictable offences related to the Act were recorded, despite over 1900 inspections reporting non-compliance. More robust enforcement actions are appropriate to promote adherence to the Act. Authorized officers should ensure that all enforcement fully complies with the Act by publishing and maintaining a transparent register of actions taken.https://www.addicta.com.tr/en/an-examination-of-the-enforcement-of-ireland-s-public-health-alcohol-act-2018-a-paper-tiger-13393
spellingShingle Frank Houghton
John Lombard
An Examination of the Enforcement of Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018: A Paper Tiger
Addicta: The Turkish Journal on Addictions
title An Examination of the Enforcement of Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018: A Paper Tiger
title_full An Examination of the Enforcement of Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018: A Paper Tiger
title_fullStr An Examination of the Enforcement of Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018: A Paper Tiger
title_full_unstemmed An Examination of the Enforcement of Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018: A Paper Tiger
title_short An Examination of the Enforcement of Ireland’s Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018: A Paper Tiger
title_sort examination of the enforcement of ireland s public health alcohol act 2018 a paper tiger
url https://www.addicta.com.tr/en/an-examination-of-the-enforcement-of-ireland-s-public-health-alcohol-act-2018-a-paper-tiger-13393
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