Liquor funds granted

Press, 11 July 1980, Page 4

Liquor funds granted

The Alcoholic Liquor Advisory Council budget had been increased by $lBO,OOO after a review, the Minister of Justice (Mr McLay) announced yesterday. Mr McLay said he hoped the increase would allow the council to provide a full funding of the activities of the Salvation Army (to the extent of $162,000) and the National Society on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse ($350,000). These were sums proposed by the council in its original budget, he said. In arriving at the figure he had also been anxious to ensure that council had availabout to it funds to enable a

proper evaluation of the effectiveness of its work programmes. Like all public agencies which spent public funds and used public resources, the council was being isked to exercise a measure f.f restraint.

Mr McLay said that three years ago the amount of money being spent to deal with alcoholism abuse was minimal, amounting to little more than $200,000.

Last evening, in Midhurst, Taranaki, Mr McLay hinted that he might vote against lowering the legal drinking age to 18 after introducing legislation to that effect in Parliament.

The rare occurrence could arise when Parliament considers an amendment to the Sale of Liquor Act. All National members of Parliament will have a free conscience vote on the proposal in the bill to drop the drinking age. Mr McLay said in an address to a National Party branch dinner that he bad voted against 18-year-old drinking in 1976. “Now I may well find myself in the unusual pos'tioii, as a Minister of the Crown, where I introduce the legislation but ultimately, after exercising my individual conscience, vote against that particular provision,” he said.