Arthur Spring (Kerry North-West Limerick, Labour) | Oireachtas source

On access to alcohol, in certain European countries it is not possible to purchase hard alcohol in supermarkets. I find it bizarre that people can go to a supermarket to buy cornflakes and end up with a slab of beer. These are not the products with which supermarkets are quintessentially associated. One goes to purchase groceries and leaves with a potentially harmful product. It has become part of the weekly shop for many. As Senator Thomas Byrne noted, alcohol is a loss leader in some cases, with implications for VAT returns. I lived for one year in Sweden where one could only purchase wine, spirits and stronger beers through the Systembolaget. The only alcohol that could be purchased in supermarkets was weak beer and it was expensive. I encourage the committee to consider a way of taxing alcohol, but I would also like to hear the delegates' opinions on restricting access and pushing people back towards the positive social dynamic of the pub. I am in favour of people drinking in pubs and enjoying that social dynamic, although not recklessly.

Cigarettes are still too widely available and people can purchase them wherever they want. Should a specific and restrictive licence be attached to their sale? Ms Loughnane spoke about taxes on tobacco. During my lifetime the dispensing unit for Coca Cola went from a can to a 500 ml and then a 1 litre bottle. I recall from my studies of consumer behaviour that the health organisation in France decided that the largest size of cup that McDonalds would be permitted to use in that country would be the same size as the smallest size in the United States. On the issue of promoting healthy foods and the five a day, I own a juice bar. The irony is that a higher rate of VAT applies to reduced fat products, whereas VAT is not imposed on dairy products such as milkshakes or confectionery. The French still subscribe to the principle of nine a day in fruit and vegetable consumption. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The French are healthier than we are.