Alan Farrell (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the delegates for their presentations and apologise for being a little late. My first question is for Professor Barry and relates to the availability of alcohol, particularly to younger people. I live two miles from Portmarnock beach, a beautiful place which has, unfortunately, been beset with problems. We all saw the clips on YouTube from the June bank holiday weekend last year, when, during a spell of particularly nice weather, a major incident took place at the beach which came to the attention of the Garda. It need hardly be said that alcohol and drugs were involved; it was one of those unfortunate things. One of the major factors in that incident, as pointed out to me by several gardaí to whom I spoke privately, was that it was possible to walk from Portmarnock beach up the hill to the local supermarket and, on that particular weekend, buy a slab of beer for €17.99. I am sure it was not one of the well known brands, but it was there to purchase for less than €20. I enjoy a beer myself from time to time and will go to my local off-licence and buy six bottles for €12. I could, however, choose to go to my local supermarket and buy 12 bottles of the same beer for €16.

I understand we have a cultural issue to deal with in this country in regard to how we consume alcohol, but there are steps we can take to address the problem. Does Professor Barry believe there is a possibility of taking effective action, outside of minimum alcohol pricing, which is something we certainly should examine? Would it be feasible, for instance, to introduce a higher threshold in respect of off-licence purchases in terms of age or perhaps an element of mandatory identification such as applies in many parts of the United States? I recall standing next to my 41 year old sister-in-law when she was carded in Massachusetts last year. I assure colleagues she does not look 18 years of age. It is a suggestion that was put to me by a constituent when this issue came up for discussion. Has such an approach been successfully adopted in other jurisdictions? Would it, in Professor Barry's view, be feasible in this country?