Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. This is a topic in respect of which we need to get serious. We are sometimes too quick to point the finger, whether in the direction of the shopkeeper or the off-licence, but I believe there is an onus on parents to take responsibility and leadership. I also have to question the whole idea about the implications of below-cost selling and easy access to alcohol, particularly in very large shops where people walk in and see it.

Drinking on the streets and public order is another issue. There is a law in place to govern that but drinking when walking down a street before a game or on a balmy summer day is not the right message to be sending out because it is not legal in this country. I would love to see that law enforced more and, yet again, that is where increased community policing comes in. It is important to say that community policing is not the sole solution to this problem. Under age drinking is a huge problem that also needs to be addressed in the schools.

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