Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Ian and Eimear to the committee and congratulate them on their fantastic achievement in winning the Young Scientist of the Year award last January. I say this with some emotion because their families are present today and I have known them extremely well for many years. The award gives the witnesses a great opportunity. They have achieved a great deal.

In the last line of their presentation they said the Oireachtas had an opportunity to make a difference, but the witnesses have made an enormous difference. There should be a major public discussion about alcohol consumption and abuse, involving everybody - parents and children. We have been shirking our responsibilities in regard to it. The witnesses’ diligent research will have an enormous impact on public health policy for generations to come. I congratulate them too on the great enthusiasm and dedication with which they have conducted their public meetings in the months since winning the competition. I also congratulate the management and staff of Coláiste Treasa in Kanturk, who gave them great help and support. It is a proud moment for everyone in the school and for the Duhallow region in general.

The night they won and the night they came home there was a sense of genuine goodwill and euphoria, unlike that at many functions I have attended where there are different agendas. All those involved in this research from University College Cork and Coláiste Treasa, and most importantly, Ian and Eimear, have made an enormous difference to the serious, genuine and open discussion that our society must have about our relationship with alcohol, as discussed with the Minister for Health at the earlier part of this meeting. We must tackle our relationship with alcohol for economic as well as personal reasons.