NEW RESTRICTIONS ON the advertisement of alcohol during sports events and events focused on children come into effect from today.

The new laws ban alcohol being advertised in or on a sports area during a sports event. They also rule out alcohol ads at events aimed at children and events involving driving mechanically propelled vehicles.

The restrictions don’t ban wearing clothing which features the name, trademark or logo of an alcohol product, as long as the event isn’t primarily aimed at children.

The provisions that come into force today are sections 15 and 16 of the Public Health Alcohol Act 2018.

Breaking the new rules can result in significant penalties, including a fine of up to €250,000 and/or up to three years imprisonment.

Similar rules have existed in other countries, notably France, for several years.

Welcoming the new measures, Health minister Stephen Donnelly said today that the restrictions are “designed to protect our children from exposure to alcohol marketing as part of their everyday lives”.

“They will also limit the association of alcohol consumption with sporting activities and motoring events,” he added.

The minister previously told the Dáil last month that research “consistently shows” that exposure to alcohol advertising is associated with an increased likelihood that children will start to drink alcohol or will drink greater quantities if they already do.

“This is why our Public Health (Alcohol) Act contains strong measures to limit the exposure of our children to alcohol marketing,” he said.

Previously enacted provisions of the Public Health Alcohol Act 2018 banned the use of bonus or loyalty card points to purchase alcoholic drinks at a reduced price.

Last November the so-called “booze curtain”, where retailers must separate out alcohol from other products in their shop, was also implemented under the act.