Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

The Minister should not take up a Front Bench role because he has been overworked in this area in recent years.

I wish to say a final word on the capacity of the intoxicating liquor legislation to promulgate codes. All my constituents want to know, and I am sure it is the same throughout the country, is what difference will this Bill make. We still have the problem of some off-licences and supermarkets selling alcohol to under age persons. The alcohol thus sold exacerbates anti-social activity in the area. We have steered away from any tracking mechanism to trace it back to the particular outlet which sold it. Will the codes the Minister envisages promulgating make it easier to deal with this phenomenon? That is the only issue in the minds of residents who are tortured by this activity, which is undoubtedly going on regularly, especially in the summer months. I know that the Minister is seeking to address the wider phenomenon of alcohol abuse in our society, but I would like to hear him comment on that particular aspect.

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