Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)

On that point, it is important there should be advertisements indicating that if a person drinks a pint, it is not safe to drive for an hour, or whatever the appropriate length of time may be. It is really important that an education package should come after the introduction of the legislation in order that people can know how long they need to wait after having a social drink.

We need to think carefully in terms of how we are to organise society given the rightful introduction of legislation such as this. The more people can avail of local pubs that are within walking distance, the better. In cities, therefore, we need to get away from the very large pubs to which people must drive and try to return to a situation where people can walk five or ten minutes to a pub near them. In rural areas, publicans should be encouraged to organise minibuses to bring people out. Drink should not always be involved in social occasions but sometimes it is, and it is important that people can get to their destinations safely.

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