Professor Joe Barry:

In terms of the legislative agenda, the Government has published a strategy on alcohol which will require some legislative input. Price, which has already been discussed, and control of marketing are both important factors. The third issue is availability, which is very much within the justice domain. There are six recommendations in the report which are the responsibility of the Department of Justice and Equality and are, therefore, of interest to this committee.

Between 1999 and 2010, the number of spirits off-licences tripled, from 500 to 1,500. In then same period, the number of wine licences increased from 500 to 3,000, although wine is not so much associated with crime as are spirits. There has been a huge shift from pub drinking to drinking at home, with alcohol sourced in off-licences. The availability problem is huge and is interlinked with the points made by Ms Costello and Professor Stockwell. There was a vague aspiration ten years ago or so that the availability issue should be addressed, but what actually happened was the opposite. There was essentially no oversight or monitoring, for example, in terms of how many off-licences might be appropriate, with the result that we are now oversupplied with such outlets. That is something on which the committee might have a view. People pre-loading on spirits is a cause of public order difficulties among young people in particular. This problem is particularly acute in the summertime, with people drinking in parks and other public spaces and causing great distress to fellow citizens.

As I said, there are six recommendations relating to the availability agenda that are specifically within the remit of the Department of Justice and Equality. In its communications with the Minister, the committee might consider engaging on these issues. Legislative action is required. Applications for off-licences will continue to be submitted, so we must have some official regulation.