Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is still not quite working. I accept that there are those who are buying too much wine and might have a drinking problem. According to the publicans and the alcohol sellers to whom I spoke, the anti-social drinking - the drinking that ends up in the accident and emergency department and the drinking that ends up spilling out onto the streets - is not from wine; it is from what the Minister is talking about. It is from two areas - cheap beer and vodka. There are not too many aged 15 in Greystones who have said to me, "Here, listen, you wouldn't mind going in and getting us a bottle of Chablis, would you?"

I agree with the Minister's intention on this but it does not feel as if the taxation is staked up exactly behind that. I ask him to take a look at the mix, although perhaps not this year. It is great to get €180 million out of this. I fully agree that it is discretionary spending. Perhaps the Minister would take a look at a mix involving wine, beer and white spirit drinks.

This is where I am coming from on this. There is a group of responsible independent wine sellers around the country. I am not referring to the supermarkets or petrol stations. Perhaps some other countervailing measure could be done for them.