Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this issue, which is much discussed. Many and various people have offered the ultimate answers in respect of this matter. I am not sure the Bill will address all of the issues to which previous speakers referred.

There is always a danger that we might fail to recognise what are the real problems. When people did not have as much money available to them as was the case up until a couple of weeks ago, the problem was not so great because many could not afford to consume large amounts of alcohol at weekends.

I am concerned about the activities of the zealots whose ambition it is to close everything down in the hope that this will solve all our problems. The latter will not prove to be the case. I am also concerned with regard to the developing trend of people holding house parties, the alcohol for which is sourced from supermarkets or off-licences. Those attending such events can engage in extremely heavy drinking and this often results in serious rows. The authorities have no control over parties of this nature and people can, unobserved and unsupervised, drink alcohol and take drugs.

Some public houses have been unduly blamed for creating problems. In the past, most well-run public houses had a cranky barman who would tell a customer to go home — either at the end of the night or beforehand — if he adjudged that the latter had enough drink taken. He might also ask whether the person intended to go home at all. In certain instances, the barman might ring the person's home and alert "she who must be obeyed" as to the current whereabouts of the drinker. There were many aspects of local legislation in this regard which had a serious impact but which have gone by the wayside and been forgotten.

The most serious development in respect of people's drinking habits is the fact that the rural pub trade is being slowly strangled, which is sad. Rural pubs have been in operation for generations and they act as social centres and meeting points for people of all ages. There is a notion abroad that this type of thing should be stymied. In my view, some economist has decided that there should be no life in rural areas and that houses should not be built in these areas. Local authorities are doing a good job of ensuring that the latter will be the case and their efforts have the full support of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. Post offices, which are part of the communications network in rural areas, are being closed down, as are petrol stations and local shops. The life is slowly being strangled out of rural areas. This is being done in the interests of mass marketing and the creation of new urban centres. If one consults a sociologist or a psychologist, he or she will inform one that living in such urban centres is not ideal.

There have always been problems with regard to alcohol during certain periods in this country's history. One of the difficulties that emerged in rural areas in the 1940s and 1950s came about as a result of the manufacture of moonshine. The problem with poitín and alcohol of that type was that standards relating to its quality fluctuated and the drinking practices of those who consumed it went unregulated. There was no control over it whatsoever and it caused horrendous damage in rural areas. It was recognised by church and State alike as a particularly bad phenomenon that had to be stamped out. It filtered away over the years — no pun intended — and has now virtually disappeared.

The problem we now face is the easy availability of alcohol to young people who do not seem able to control the consequences. Anti-social behaviour is not always the result of drunkenness. Members of this House have encountered countless cases of anti-social behaviour in which alcohol was not involved, although that does not excuse drunkenness. The current generation of school leavers seems to lack responsibility and direction. They do not seem to be capable of examining the negative and positive options involved in binge drinking, which can cause serious and permanent damage.

The question of zero tolerance should be addressed. I hope the Government does not proceed in that direction because it could have serious consequences for rural Ireland. Where will people drink and is it a bad idea? If we are to be self-righteous on this subject, we should ask whether alcohol should be banned, as was done in the United States in the 1920s. Prohibition was spectacularly unsuccessful in that country. The people who want to legalise certain drugs would claim that it was in the hands of the wrong people but I do not know. I do not think we should go down that road. A person who had three or four drinks on a Saturday or Sunday night will not risk going to work the following morning unless he or she has a driver. That is the stark reality of zero tolerance. It might be thought an easy way to catch people on the basis that it would discourage the consumption of alcohol altogether, but in fact it discourages driving and drinking. We must ask whether we want to abolish that particular practice altogether. Personally, I would go along with either side if it seemed to be the right thing to do but I warn that serious social consequences will ensue.

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