Dáil debates

Wednesday, 15 June 2005

 

Liquor Licensing Laws: Motion (Resumed).

6:00 pm

James Breen (Clare, Independent)

I am disappointed, but not surprised, by the now frequent and absurd U-turns by the current Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The latest fiasco surrounding legislation on outlets selling alcohol is another example of how this Minister and the Government are displaying a lack of cohesion and leadership on important issues in our society. They cited the need for a healthier society and the protection of young people from the danger of alcohol abuse as some of the main reasons for the legislation initially proposed. The Minister stated that there was a need for honest debate rather than opportunistic posturing on how best to address the problem of alcohol related harm in our society. Does that mean that up until now, the Minister did not engage in honest debate? Did he engage in any debate at all?

The evidence of the revolt by Government backbenchers suggests that not much consultation occurred and the hurried proposals, probably sponsored by corporate Ireland, were quickly abandoned when the feelings of backbenchers were made known. Were the views of the health and education sector listened to at all? The proposed legislation was all about money. There was no interest in providing for better education about alcohol for young people. There was no mention of the provision of better recreational facilities for young people as an alternative to pub culture. Instead of offering young people better facilities for youth clubs and sports clubs, the Minister proposed to increase the number of facilities that offer alcohol.

The traditional Irish pub is not the cause of binge drinking by young people. Such pubs are usually well run establishments and are well supervised. The emergence of the greed of the superpub is one of the factors that has encouraged binge drinking. While the philosophy of getting people drunk as quickly as possible before throwing them out to let more punters in is all too prevalent today, the Minister has not seen fit to include restrictions on superpubs. The advertising and sale of alcopops, which are strong alcoholic drinks laced with sugar to make them attractive, are designed to encourage binge drinking. The main target group is young people, but the Minister does not propose to ban their sale. Advertising and sponsorship of sports by drinks companies increasingly encourage young people to drink alcohol.

While the Government claims it wants to protect young people and educate them about alcohol abuse, it has failed to include education and health proposals in its legislation. No additional spending in these areas is proposed. The Government has twisted itself into a knot to meet the growing needs of corporate Ireland and does not care about people who need help. The Minister is reported in a newspaper today as saying he did not accept that someone having a few beers would be any more likely to commit suicide. A few pages later, the same newspaper reports from the Dublin Children's Court that the Health Service Executive does not have the resources to find an appropriate residential therapeutic replacement for a 13 year old boy who has tried to kill himself three times. When will the Government cease introducing damage-limitation legislation and pandering to the media and corporate Ireland and take constructive action on this issue to help our society?

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