Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and wish him well with bringing those proposals to Cabinet. I hope they make progress. There is no doubt we have a very unhealthy relationship with alcohol and the statistics on the role of alcohol in murder, assault, sexual assault and public order offences is frightening. Particularly frightening is the increase in liver disease particularly among young people. An 18 year old woman was the most recent casualty of that.

We are moving away from what was our pub culture, which was centered on the pub as an occasion to go out to socialise and meet people. Now we have a very serious situation where, when purchasing a bottle of milk or petrol and one can also buy alcohol. These are very serious issues. Young people can dial to have drink delivered to their house and nobody is checking the age. That must come into the Minister's deliberations. The later people start drinking the better so we must examine underage drinking. Last week I was involved in a youth convention with five schools from the north inner city and what emerged was frightening. More than 95% of them, whose average age was 16, were drinking regularly.

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