Mr. Peter O'Brien:

I will respond to the points made by Deputy 'Ming' Flanagan. We share the concerns of the health lobby on the health issues. We take our responsibilities very seriously. Let me repeat, the members of the drinks industry are the only people who are educating people on alcohol in this country. We invite all the health professionals, parliamentarians and officials from the Departments of Health and Children and Youth Affairs to join us. The simple reality is that there is no relationship between sponsorship and consumption. We agree that public health is an issue. The question is what will make most impact on public health. The reality is that education, awareness and enforcement will impact on public health. We want to support that.

I will ask my colleague, Mr. Donall O'Keeffe - the representative from the publicans - to address the Deputy's specific question on taxation.