Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fianna Fail)

I saw every young person who went into the hall and there was no alcoholic drink on their person as no one who had drink was allowed in. When the disco was over at 1.30 a.m. and the lights were switched on, the floor was littered with empty cider cans, noggins of vodka and baby Powers bottles. I do not know how the drink got into the hall but it shows how inventive young people are. They do not see the dangers of excessive drinking.

I welcome the fact the Minister has eased the regulation relating to small shops and supermarkets. Not to have done so would have caused severe hardship because some shopkeepers do not have the space to segregate alcohol as required. I understand the representative body has met the Minister and given an undertaking that its members will police this themselves in a strong fashion. I welcome that as these people have to survive. They do not make their money selling alcohol but it is a necessary part of their business and I am glad the Minister recognised that aspect.

I was in a multinational supermarket recently and, walking past the drinks shelf, I saw a bottle of a well-known lager for sale at 89 cent while, not far away, there was a bottle of Coke at €2. Something must be done to address below-cost selling of certain beers. When a bottle of lager is selling for half the price of a bottle of Coke, something is definitely wrong.

Parents also have a responsibility. There is a bottle of whiskey or vodka in the press in every house and the presses are not locked. My house is the same as everybody else's in this regard and young people today will get their hands on drink if it is available. They even take the whiskey out of a bottle and replace it with water. It sounds funny but it happens and parents must be more responsible. They must realise that their children will do this. We all think our children are angels but they are not. Once they get into a group, peer pressure prompts them to act in the same way as other young people.

The Minister mentioned the damage being done by drink to young people and there is no doubt about it. I do not know how we can sort it out. Some people can drink but, once they get married, they have other things on their minds such as a mortgage and they can move away from it. Others, even if they are married, do not seem to be able to get out of the habit of drinking regularly on Thursday, Friday or Saturday nights. They damage themselves and their families and it is impossible to put a cost on the problem. We should do anything we can to solve it.

I have noticed a recent tendency for football matches to be shown at 12 p.m. on Sky on a Saturday or Sunday, which brings people into pubs much earlier than heretofore. On Saturday or Sunday, when they are not working, people go into a pub at 12 p.m. for a match which lasts until 2.30 p.m. or 3 p.m. and another is shown after that. They do not leave until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. and that causes excessive drinking.

I was asked a question today about off-licence sales. An off-licence opens at 10.30 a.m. and closes at 10.30 p.m. but what is the situation as regards off-licences on licensed premises, which have seven-day licences? Their opening times are the same but are they also expected to close at 10.30 p.m? I cannot see how that would work. Maybe the Minister will come back to me to clarify the point.

I wish the Minister well in his endeavours. We should do whatever we as a Government, and as politicians in general, can to stop excessive drinking by young people, especially those who are under age. I have seen young adults, aged 18, 19 or 20, some of whom are brothers or sisters of younger people, going into off licences, supermarkets or pubs and handing the drink to the younger people when they come out. They may even charge the younger people and make a profit in the process. This must be stamped out by dealing with such actions severely.

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