Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Deputy O'Reilly has again raised an important issue. There are issues surrounding children, their exposure to alcohol in general and celebratory events, to which Deputy O'Reilly has already referred, at which alcohol and other products are readily available, the combination of which is seriously deleterious to children's health and well-being. It is no harm to bear in mind the effects. I do not intend to enumerate them but I do feel there needs to be a separate warning in respect of events of a particular nature in any event, even if this legislation were to cover them. I can think of a number of celebratory events in which young people naturally get involved and which they have reason to celebrate, but there needs to be some control over the extent to which the celebrations go. Numerous events have been brought to our attention over the years whereby, with the benefit of hindsight, we can say that if they did not happen, there might have been different outcomes, not tragic outcomes. We can visualise in our minds the broad spectrum of events this encompasses. They are many and varied, and I do not want to identify any of them specifically at this stage, other than to say it is no harm to bear them in mind. The public health warning can go a certain distance and achieve a certain amount, but not necessarily always, to alert the young person to the danger of particular circumstances and events.