Professor Frank Murray:

The point the Deputy makes about binge drinking or heavy episodic drinking is absolutely right. People drinking vast amounts of alcohol in a sitting is rife in Ireland. The country ranks eighth in the world with regard to binge drinking. We have an enormous problem. We did not really follow southern Europe. People there do not drink like that. We drink in a completely different way. A consequence is more people dying from the episode of drinking than in other jurisdictions. One third of deaths associated with alcohol use are due to episodes of drinking. They are not people who are long-term problem drinkers. They are people who go out and have a variable number of drinks. Getting in a car after two drinks may be enough to do it, but many others go out and fall, drown or become depressed and suicidal. That is one in three of those deaths. That is almost 500 per year. It is eight or ten deaths per week.

It is very important we focus on the point the Deputy brought up with regard to trying to reduce the amount of alcohol sold in the off-licence trade. I know that is not part of the legislation today-----