Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

It is good the House is debating this issue but I think the opportunity has been missed by many to deal with the real problem, namely, the abuse of alcohol.

In 2000 the Government established the Commission on Liquor Licensing which has produced four reports, the final one of which was published in April 2003. The mandate for that commission was to review the liquor licensing system and recommend a new system which would meet the needs of consumers while also taking account of the social, health and economic needs of citizens. The final report made a number of recommendations relating to combating drunkenness and tackling the problems of under age and binge drinking.

In January 2002 the then Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Martin, established a strategic task force on alcohol and requested it to make recommendations that were evidence-based and would prevent and reduce alcohol-related harm in Ireland. The task force reported last year and made a number of important recommendations.

Alcohol is the biggest problem to be confronted by this country. We have been far too tolerant in the past and we have a love-hate relationship with alcohol. Our tolerance may have created many of the difficulties. There is now more awareness of the dreadful hardship it causes for many families and now is the time for action.

I ask Members to be more positive in their contributions as I know some were rubbing their hands with glee when they heard that Fianna Fáil backbenchers were opposed to a certain proposal from the Minister, Deputy McDowell. The issue is bigger than that. In fairness to the Minister, while he explained last night in the House that the proposal came from the commission, he and the Government are attempting to change a culture.

This country has had a culture of drinking for a long time. When a baby is born his head must be wetted with a drink and the same occurs at baptisms, weddings and funerals. We want to wish people luck and those occasions are always associated with drink. Events such as Holy Communion and Confirmation are celebrated by children being brought to the pub as if that were a child's ideal day out. It is more to do with meeting and fulfilling the needs and habits of adults rather than children. Very few families have not been affected by alcohol. We are very much aware of the problem it creates. I compliment the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Deputy McDowell, on his proposal, which sought to change the culture so that people could drink more in moderation than to excess as so many do at the moment.

I had the honour of bringing the report of the task force on alcohol before the Cabinet recently. The Government gave approval to implement the recommendations that come within the remit of the Department of Health and Children and other Departments were also asked to implement the recommendations within their remit. We will establish a committee including the industry to consider how we can work together to implement these recommendations in a positive way. Later this year my Department will produce its action plan outlining the measures we intend to take in dealing with the problem. The committee will consider three areas in particular, binge drinking, drink driving and under-age drinking. It is important to involve the industry and social partners.

Much work has been done behind the scenes and the Department is working with other people involved in the industry including those in advertising. We have reached an agreement with broadcasters on a code of practice so that alcohol advertising is restricted in its content and volume. Alcohol advertisements can only be broadcast at certain times and cannot be broadcast, for example, during children's programmes. Those involved in the industry have become more conscious of their obligations and working with them will ultimately produce the best result. However, we have a big job ahead of us.

The past decade has seen many changes here. For the majority of people this means having more money in their pockets, which in itself has changed and influenced drinking behaviour resulting in an increase in alcohol-related harm. Ireland had the highest increase in alcohol consumption among European countries between 1990 and 2002 when alcohol consumption per capita increased by 41%. During that period the majority of other European countries had little or no increase in their alcohol consumption. A European study showed that adults in Ireland have the highest reported consumption per drinker and the highest level of binge drinkers when compared with other European countries.

Alcohol related harm does not just affect the drinker. We tend to believe the drinker is the only one harmed when we see excessive drinking. Unfortunately, the statistics are all too evident. We have domestic violence and violence in the streets. We often have cases of people filling in for a work colleague, who missed a day's work, came in late or left early, which is all related to alcohol and its effect. Despite the tendency in the media to focus on under-age drinking, the vast majority of alcohol-related harm happens among the adult population. It is unfair to point the finger at the young people and accuse them of all the ills associated with alcohol. Some 25% of people presenting at our accident and emergency departments are there because of alcohol-related incidents. This is an enormous drain on our resources and we will need to change the way we behave and treat alcohol.

Between 1992 and 2002 more than 14,000 people died from the five main alcohol-related mortality causes, namely suicide, cancer, alcohol-related poisoning, liver cirrhosis and alcohol abuse. If those people had never drunk or drank less, the majority of them could be alive today, which shows the impact alcohol consumption has had on their families. Alcohol does not just affect the person consuming it, but also the wider circle of family, friends and often a community.

We have a number of recommendations on which we intend working. In many cases we will work with social partners and those involved in the drinks industry to get their co-operation in implementing the recommendations. It is the biggest problem confronting the industry and if people have positive suggestions it is important for them to come forward. It is in the best interest of the nation to tackle this problem immediately and in a serious way.

See this speech in context