A rise in alcohol delivery services since the beginning of the pandemic is leading to illegal behaviour, according to a harmful drinking charity.

Spokespeople from Alcohol Forum have said that “really risky practices are creeping in” around drinks sales with greater enforcement needed against illegal delivery services as well as tougher regulation for the licensed off-sales trade.

Paula Leonard, the organisation’s lead in community action, says 24-hour “dial a drink” services are operating “outside any licensing regime”, mainly in Dublin but springing up in provincial towns countrywide during the crisis.

"We've been aware of this back as far as 2012," she told The Pat Kenny Show.

"In the National Substance Misuse Strategy, the government recommended that it should strengthen the controls in relation to drink delivery services. That's quite a number of years ago now and pre-pandemic, so what we're seeing now is that change to online selling and over-the-phone selling has really been accelerated during COVID ... People are seeing it on the ground in Cork, Dublin, in the North West and right across the country."

It's understood that these services purchase large quantities of alcohol at wholesalers and sell them for a significant markup. Many advertise on social media or through forwarded messages on WhatsApp.

Also speaking to Pat was Fine Gael Senator Mary Seery Kearney, who said: "Well, only licenced sellers are actually entitled to sell alcohol, so this re-selling of it is an unscrupulous action. The dial-a-drink services are advertising in plain sight on social media ... and people are prepared to pay inflated prices to have drink delivered to their doors. So, certainly, action on enforcement needs to be taken."

Alcohol Forum is seeking a meeting with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to urge legislation that would legally define drink deliveries, insist on age verification at the point of sale and again at the point of delivery.

"One thing that's absolutely defined within the law is that the point of sale has to be on a licenced premises," Paula continued.

"So, it is really important that the alcohol is paid for before it leaves the premises; by chip and pin or credit card or whatever. With these unregulated, unlicensed sellers, they're taking cash on delivery. So, there are several breaches of licensing legislation ... We need to have an operation from the guards that is looking at this."

Back in May, Red C carried out a poll for Alcohol Forum which found almost 54% of people were concerned with the rise in alcohol delivery services. It also showed that almost one in 10 people who drink had used alcohol delivery services over the previous 12 months.

“We can’t have a Department of Health strategy and the Department of Justice ignoring the facts that licensing legislation relating to this issue isn’t fit for purpose,” she said.

“It is easier now than ever for underage people to access alcohol.”

Photo: Frank May