Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Deputy O'Donnell rightly feels aggrieved that he has not received the call, although the buzzing sound is still the hope that the Minister might call. We will forgive him for the interruption.

We are having a discussion with four different groups and have received different submissions from each. Some of them contradict each other in terms of what they seek and they have different priorities. However, I welcome all the submissions. We will read them in detail in preparation for our alternative budget.

With regard to the drinks industry, there was a call to ensure that the excise increase of last year is reversed and that there are no further increases. The witness spoke about the impact it has had and offered comparisons between the cost of alcohol here and the cost in other European countries. In terms of the increase last year, and there have been increases in the last number of years, how has it impacted on the industry? We know that rural pubs are closing down, as people from rural areas see on a daily or monthly. They also see the effects of it. However, has the number of litres of alcohol sold in Ireland reduced as a result of the increase in excise?