Ms Evelyn Jones:

I will answer that, as an off-licence operator. The prevalence of excessive drinking has emerged as a result of price promotions and the merchandising of alcohol to drive footfall into multiple mixed trading environments. Specialist off-licences retail in a responsible manner. They must; otherwise, they will lose their licences. They must make margin and pay their rent, rates and staff. They cannot afford to retail alcohol below cost or at cost. If they do, they will go out of business.

The manner in which alcohol has been permitted to be price promoted by mixed trading environments in the media has permitted this.

It is incumbent upon the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Health to bring forward their action plans. The Commission on Taxation has stated that the impact on health and public order, among other things, must be considered. The Department of Finance has taken action in that among EU countries, Ireland has the fourth highest excise duty on beer and spirits, the highest excise duty on sparkling wines, the third highest excise duty on wine and the second highest excise duty on cider. Many member states have no excise duty on alcohol. It is difficult to park a health and justice argument into a finance and taxation argument and I do not think it is right.