Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

Regarding alcohol misuse, we are having a series of public meetings. I attended the meeting in Sligo for a very short time but I will attend the meeting in Portlaoise. Alcohol and opiates are on a continuum and cannot be separated. We must examine the issue and are not at the conclusion stage because the meetings are still going on. They are being done on a round table basis to encourage people to interact. I am interested in the feedback from the ground.

We have far too many structures. It has taken a long time to get cohesion between partnerships and Leader companies. I hope it will be worthwhile. We must find a balance between dealing with structures all the time, rather than issues, and ensuring we do not have too many structures and duplication and that we keep things tight and focused. There should not be endless consultation and no business. We must undergo the consultation and when we finish we will have a clear strategy to implement.

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