Mr. Padraig Cribben:

There are public order issues arising from the availability of cheap alcohol. They have been referred to by Deputy Mac Lochlainn. There is a concept, described by a new word in the dictionary, called pre-loading. That is exactly what Deputy Mac Lochlainn described. It is a major problem for publicans. People come in and have one or two drinks, which really should have no effect, but the publican will find it is having a serious effect because the people have consumed a great deal of alcohol before they have come into the pub. There is an added problem for publicans who run late night operations. A number of people come in, not only pre-loaded but also well stocked. They come in and buy a coke but the naggin of vodka is somewhere else. They go into the toilets and suddenly the coke is a lot strong than it was before they went in. That is a major problem and it leads to public order issues. In some places, the biggest problem in terms of public order issues is where people have been refused entry because of the level of pre-loading. They never get inside but the problem remains outside, when people are told they are not getting in.

The availability of cheap alcohol feeds directly into the issue of public order. Unless the availability of cheap alcohol is addressed, issues relating to public order will increase.