Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We will have 150 members by the end of this year. That will be well over 10% per annum. The Deputy questions introducing this legislation without having the enforcement there. Enforcement has been increasing during the passage of this legislation even though the legislation is not even on the Statute Books yet. The increase in the traffic corps, happily, will coincide almost exactly with the passage of this legislation. That may be a coincidence, but I think it will take the sting out of the criticism the Deputy is rightly making.

Deputy O'Keeffe raised enforcement as well. He referred to this as a minute offence. I suppose that is where I disagree with him more fundamentally. I regard it as a serious offence, not a minute offence. I think it would be absolutely wrong and I take issue with the Deputy when he talks so casually about the one or two drinks. That kind of statement encourages people to think that having two drinks is acceptable. That leads to a culture of acceptance of drinking and driving. I do not accept the jargon we use about a yellow card. There are no yellow cards in drinking and driving; it is a red card situation and that is it as far as I am concerned. It is impairment. One drink impairs driving and two drinks impair it more. It is that kind of casual talk that leads to a culture of people getting into their cars and saying it will be alright when it will not be. I fundamentally disagree with the Deputy and I do not think we are going to agree about this. Deputy O'Keeffe has always taken that point of view and that is perfectly legitimate.

The other thing Deputy O'Keeffe regularly addresses here is the fact that there are lots of other problems. There are; he is right. He refers to bad brakes, bad roads and bad road conditions. There are problems there as well. However, that does not mean we should not address this one. It may mean we should be more progressive and energetic in respect of other problems as well. That does not mean this one should not be addressed, however. It is a diversionary argument.

I was interested in what Deputy Catherine Murphy said about not being lobbied, particularly by the vintners.

If I were in the Vintners Federation of Ireland, I would not lobby the Deputy either. I would give up. On the point the Deputy made about small lobbyists and small businesses, the measure does cause inconvenience and difficulties. There are certainly small off-licences complaining about it also. There has been pressure exerted in this regard but what we are doing is right as far as I am concerned. This measure is correct and we have to pay a bit of a price for introducing it. There will be a cost and perhaps it will cost some people dearly in the context of their livelihoods. I do not want to do that at all but sometimes one has to pay a price in order to save lives and for the greater good. That is really what it is about.

On the morning-after pill, we have asked a lot of questions.