Dr. Tony Holohan:

Overwhelmingly our concern is in relation to mixed trading. The standalone off-licences are in a different situation because alcohol is their primary business. In the mixed trading environment, particularly in large multiples, the ability of people to have access to large volumes of alcohol at very cheap prices is driving a significant pattern of consumption, which has resulted in an enormous shift in the pattern of consumption of alcohol over a decade or two. The vast majority of alcohol consumption happened in the pub environment when we were younger. The off-licence or off-trade was not a significant component of our lives. Most people got off-trade purchases in over-the-counter transactions in on-trade environments, in contrast to the current reality whereby the majority of alcohol consumed in this country is purchased in the off-trade. In that sense, something that is discriminatory in the sense of targeting more off-trade rather than on-trade purchasing is consistent with our policy objective to reduce the sale of alcohol.