Anthony Lawlor (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the witnesses. I wish Mr. Cribben the best of luck in his ongoing talks with the LVA. The next time he appears before the committee there might be a joint body rather than two separate bodies.

I wish to raise a couple of points.

I have always been opposed to below-cost selling because the manner in which many below-cost sellers, including supermarkets, are taking advantage of the VAT rebate means that taxpayers are indirectly subsidising the drink. I am delighted that we have introduced legislation to provide for a minimum cost for each unit of alcohol. I am aware that a similar arrangement is in place in Scotland, but does Mr. Mulholland envisage that it will be extended to the entire UK as a means of controlling the sale of alcohol in supermarkets?

I must say that what is happening here on the craft beer side of things is really exciting. Many micro-breweries are producing craft beer in various locations throughout the country. In fairness to the Minister, in the last budget he increased the number of hectolitres that can be produced before additional excise duty needs to be paid. That has been welcomed by the craft brewers that are found all over the country.

I travel to Mr. Mulholland's part of Yorkshire once a year for a race meeting in York. I have noticed that for more and more pubs in the UK, the food business is as important as the drink business. I see that happening here as well. Perhaps, as part of a cultural shift, people are getting used to eating out rather than cooking. Does Mr. Mulholland have any thoughts on how we can improve and increase that business? As a certain skill set is needed, we need to consider how we can address the shortage of chefs in this country. I am sure that problem is being encountered within the food-serving pub trade in the UK as well.

I agree with Mr. Mulholland that many pubs are merely surviving. In many cases, the problem is where they are located. I understand there was a time when there were more pubs than houses in Dunmore, County Galway. That has changed dramatically in recent years. There has been a rationalisation of the trade and a shift in the culture. I see this in my own town of Naas as well. There are just six or eight pubs there now, whereas there were 15 or 20 pubs in the town ten or 15 years ago. Based on his experience in the UK, how does Mr. Mulholland believe we can address the problem of pubs closing down in certain areas? How can we make a change so that pubs are more likely to operate on a vibrant community basis, in the manner to which he has alluded, rather than being lost to their communities? If a post office is closing people will protest outside it, but very little notice is taken when a pub is closing, even though in most rural areas it is the link that enables people to communicate with one another. We do not see that happening. Does Mr. Mulholland agree we could be doing something on that to encourage more of them to stay open? It may be possible to link in with other services as well.