Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the delegation. There are three categories of drinker, and, as a non-drinker, I believe it important that people realise there are such discrete categories. It was stated that low-risk drinkers are males who consume fewer than 17 standard drinks per week or females who consume fewer than 11 standard drinks per week, or an average of two drinks per day. People may think that two drinks per day is not a terribly high figure. The next category is that of increased-risk drinkers - males who consume between 17 and 40 drinks per week and females who consume between 11 and 28 drinks. Again, many people might not believe three or four drinks per day is a high figure. The alarming category is that of high-risk drinkers - males who consume 40 or more drinks per week or females who consume 28 or more drinks per week. That amounts to five or six drinks per day, and the witnesses have estimated that this would cost a family €100 per week. I believe that the minute a person takes his or her first drink, he or she becomes a low-risk drinker.

If a minimum price regime came into effect next week and brought about a 10% increase in prices, how long would it take to affect alcohol consumption? It was stated earlier that if alcohol prices were increased by 10% across different areas there would be a 4.4% decrease in consumption. Would that happen in Ireland? How would we know if the process works? This will affect supermarkets and off-licences. How will we know if these businesses sell below the set price? The Canadian Government's initiatives were mentioned, but have the actions of any other countries been studied? What level of success is there in other countries? Why are some countries successful while others are not?

It is estimated that in Ireland, 1,500 hospital beds are taken up every night by patients experiencing alcohol-related harm. Alcohol consumption in Ireland has doubled in the past 50 years. We badly need to address the major problem we have with alcohol in Irish society, especially the availability of cheap alcohol to underage and young drinkers and those who binge drink or drink hazardously. My main concern is the health of drinkers, who may suffer liver diseases, and the safety of families. Not a day or a week goes by in which I do not have men, women and children coming to my constituency office to tell me about alcohol-related problems. Apart from minimum unit pricing, what other action could be taken to reduce the consumption of alcohol, especially for high-risk drinkers?