Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Mulholland and Mr. Cribben. I note Senators Henry and Hayden are present in the Gallery.

I am intrigued by the existence of a cross-party Save the Pub Group in Britain. I assume this is an informal group. Will Mr. Mulholland outline how it operates?

While we all agree with Mr. Mulholland on duty and excise, the position of the off-trade versus the on-trade is another important issue and one which Mr. Mulholland did not discuss in detail. The position in Ireland is similar to that in the United Kingdom in respect of the freedom available to the off-trade, particularly the multiple supermarkets, to use alcohol as a price leader, thereby undermining the supply chain that is the local pub and the responsibility that applies to premises selling alcohol.

The asset of community value, ACV, concept is an interesting one. How long has this been in place and how many pubs have gone through that system? What impact have changes to beer duty in the United Kingdom had on business levels in pubs?

Pubs in Britain are frequently tied to one supplier, which is not the case here. Mr. Mulholland made a number of proposals in this regard.