Mr. Donall O'Keeffe:

May I just point out, the Deputy added a second element to his question - on price range - and his accusations were generally levelled at the Dublin pub trade which I represent. There are prices in Dublin ranging from €3.50 to €7.50. A person can buy - within a couple hundred yards of here - pints for between €5 and €6. The publican has to offer value for that. There are prime, centrally located, expensively kit-out, highly staffed pubs charging relatively high prices which people are happy to pay. A quarter of a mile away are relatively cheap and cheerful pubs. That is the market in operation. The price in the suburbs is lower than the price in the city centre. The price in the city centre is lower than the price in Dublin 2 and Temple Bar. We have 740 pubs in Dublin. There is one there to suit everyone. We are very comfortable that there is a range that suits the market.

If one has the capacity and is of the mind to go to a high-priced pub, that option is there but if one wants to find a lower-priced pub that is available too.