Ms Deirdre Drennan:

To add to Mr. Joe Sweeney's point, the way the proposal is written it would fit very well with a large supermarket because they all have aisles. There is an aisle for the off-licence and they could put a till on either end of it, whereas an independent newsagent or convenience store owner would have to put a shop within a shop, which would make it cumbersome for consumers. If I go to a shop on a Friday night and want to buy a pizza and a bottle of wine, I will have to go to one till with the pizza and another till with the bottle of wine. That is awkward and it is not getting to the root of the problem. The problem is that people can get too much drink too cheaply, not where the till is located in the store.

There is no evidence to suggest that any independent retailer or convenience store owner has in any way contributed to anti-social behaviour.

Many of them, including Mr. Sweeney and Mr. Mulligan, are parents who are involved in their respective local communities and do not want to encourage any kind of anti-social behaviour. This issue ties in with the point we made on tobacco. We want to educate people to make informed, responsible choices. Our objective is the creation of a level playing field that will allow independent retailers to compete with the multiples. Unit pricing would encourage such a development.