Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My concern is the same as with minimum unit pricing. I would like to have seen a focus on below-cost selling, which we see quite an amount of on the shelves of the bigger supermarkets. Turning off the tap of cheap, harmful alcohol suggests we are looking at a particular cohort of society. It is also reflected in the Professor Murray's sentences:

The socially disadvantaged suffer disproportionately from the effects of alcohol. The proposed measures will help these individuals and reduce health inequality.

They are not a people apart, these individuals. I am concerned about the language to some extent. Looking back, I have known people from all sectors of my community who have been challenged by alcohol. They were not confined to the socially deprived or disadvantaged. The notion is that we are going to do something wonderful for a particular cohort of people, but the real impact and effect is unproven. People who are seriously challenged by the need for alcohol are going to continue to find a means to access what their systems require.

There is no panacea for the issue. It must start with education and a range of other supports. I am concerned that the notion is we will have addressed something worthwhile if the less well-off are left in a position of greater disadvantage in accessing alcohol as a result the measures involved. That is not the starting point we should be working from. Alcohol injures people across the social strata and all incomes are impacted. It is not only harmful, cheap alcohol but harmful alcohol.