Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have spoken to many of the delegates and I know they have put a great deal of work into this subject. Our interest is patient health and we are here for the good of society. I have had a number of e-mails and messages on social media pointing out that people should be able to drink cheap alcohol, and how dare we try to raise the price of alcohol. People sent personal details to me. I heard Professor Barry speak about drug addiction and in the course of the discussion he said there was no big difference between drug addiction and alcohol addiction. I think what Professor Barry meant is that one has to deal with it in a similar way to an addiction. It is a major medical problem.

I was not present when Ms Evelyn Jones made her presentation but I listened to it in my office. Both Ms Jones and Mr. Donall O'Keeffe spoke about structural separation. I have been in different shops and supermarkets where the point has been made to me that it will be a significant cost to put this in place and they raised issues on how will they regulate and watch this area. Has Ms Jones an idea of the costs involved to a supermarket? Minimum unit pricing is an important issue. There is no point bringing in minimum unit pricing unless it is set at a realistic rate. Will Ms Jones indicate what she thinks is a realistic minimum unit price?

We all know from the previous meeting on drugs that it comes down to parenting. We all know that we should be responsible for our children. We know they are binge drinking when they should be under our care. As a parent and a former school principal, parents need to know where their children are. It is no good complaining to Government or complaining that it is everyone's fault if they are out in the park binge drinking and then perhaps have to be brought to accident and emergency departments. Parents are the primary carers of their children. That is the message we have to send out. It is all very well to say the school will do its part, and while I believe schools play their part, the primary educator of a child is the parent, and he or she is not just the educator but the carer as well. Parents have a responsibility to their child and to society.

My questions are on structural separation and the minimum unit price.