Doctors have called for an immediate ban on the sponsorship and promotion of sports by the alcohol industry.

According to Dr Ray Walley, president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), there is ‘clear evidence that advertising and sponsorship of this kind increases consumption and exposes many children and young people to such marketing efforts'.

"The IMO reiterates its call on the Minister for Health to reconsider and take immediate action to ban sponsorship and promotion of sports by the alcohol industry," Dr Walley said following the publication of a report on the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health.

That report, which was published earlier this week, supports a number of measures to reduce problem drinking in Ireland, including the introduction of minimum unit pricing for alcohol.

However Dr Walley noted that while the IMO and the Oireachtas Committee are ‘at one' in relation to key issues surrounding alcohol, the reluctance of the committee to deal with this particular issue is a ‘blight on an otherwise significant report'.

The IMO called on the Government to introduce a ban on sports sponsorship by drink companies ‘with immediate effect'.