Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I do not support or encourage drink-driving. Everyone can enjoy alcohol if it is consumed responsibly, as the vast majority of people do, and there is personal responsibility for one's actions and behaviour. Nobody in this House or outside it condones a situation where a driver who has taken excessive alcohol causes an accident or fatality. I have met the various representative groups advocating on this matter, some of which support the Government proposals and some of which oppose them. I have supported the Government on several important matters since its establishment. In this instance, however, I cannot and will not support the legislation that has been presented to the House. The Minister's priorities are wrong in this matter and he has brought forward measures that are unnecessary and excessive and which target the wrong cohort of people. In particular, the Bill will impact on people living in isolated rural parishes that are far removed from public transport services. The Minister is fortunate that in his constituency one can choose between the DART, Luas and bus. Alternatively, a taxi will arrive to one's home within ten to 15 minutes. We in Tipperary, as elsewhere in rural Ireland, do not have any of those transport options. I was in Thurles last weekend and it proved impossible to get a taxi to my home in Holycross. There are insufficient numbers of taxi vehicles and, in addition, demand tends to peak at certain times.

My main concern regarding these proposals is that the penalties it sets out are totally disproportionate. This will particularly affect young people who need to travel to work after having enjoyed a few drinks the night before as part of a social occasion.

We are hearing about people who get up in the morning to go to work. I have great admiration for the young person who is able and capable of working, who gets up in the morning, does a day's work, goes out to socialise and does the right thing by leaving the car behind and then gets a taxi home. However, perhaps because of his or her body mass or as a result of a misunderstanding regarding how fast the body can eliminate the after-effects of alcohol, he or she is busted the following morning at a checkpoint. The person might fail the test by the slightest margin and yet, as a result, he or she is put off the road completely. This is totally disproportionate. That person's job is impacted. He or she is willing to make his or her contribution to society, earn his or her keep and not be a burden on anybody. That person is penalised to an extent that is unfair, unjust and disproportionate.

Gardaí operating in our communities need the support and must enjoy the confidence of the public. The Garda should show a lot more discretion with morning-after breathalysing, which has terrorised rural Ireland. In many areas, people have a bunker-down attitude. They are afraid to do the normal things one would expect, especially from young people. If young people do the right thing and obey the law, and the day after they find they are disqualified from driving due to being a minimal amount over the limit, it means the repercussions of the legislation are excessive.

I represent the constituency of Tipperary North. Tipperary is a rural, inland county that has suffered all the negative effects of being situated away from the coast and major cities. It is split into two large, sprawling constituencies that are home to numerous small to medium-sized rural towns and villages. Over the years, I have witnessed the gradual decline of all these towns and villages. Towns such as Thurles, Templemore, Nenagh, Tipperary town, Cahir, Cashel and Carrick-on-Suir, which were once lively, vibrant places to work and live have struggled over time and, despite all, have still managed to survive. This is due in no small measure to the strong sense of community spirit and belonging that pervades these places. Most have managed to survive, not as a result of Government grants or subsidies, but from a huge volunteering effort on the part of many locals and groups in activities such as Tidy Towns competition, local festivals, etc. We should salute these people for the wonderful efforts they continue to make in order to ensure that future generations will be able to remain in these rural towns and villages that are such a part of our history. The towns and villages in question are hurting badly. This hurt is increasing on a daily basis. If we drive through any of them, we will see far too many signs proclaiming "For Sale" or "For Rent". We also have too many boarded up shopfronts. The principal and often only activities in many of these places relate to local primary and second-level schools.

In recent years, all of these towns and villages have witnessed the closure of small factories, Garda stations, post offices and many small retail outlets. If this legislation is to pass, we will witness the closure of numerous small rural pubs that are already desperately struggling to survive. Since time immemorial, the pub has been a focal point of social life in rural Ireland. We only need look at television series such as "The Riordans" in the 1960s and 1970s, "Glenroe", "Fair City" and "Ros na Rún" to see the role the pub plays in Irish social life. They are often described as friendly and homely places. Many people believe they foster social relationships among residents, strengthen the level of cohesion in villages and positively contribute to communal well-being.

Many elderly people who live alone in very isolated areas often use the pub as often their only weekly social outing when they can meet friends in a relaxed environment to play a game of cards or simply have a chat. Many Members of this House, myself included, use the pub for political clinics, meetings or simply to meet constituents and be informed on local and personal topical issues. Recent studies, including one published in the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality, have found that in the UK, for example, pubs have a very positive and significant impact on social engagement and involvement among residents living in the English countryside. Significantly, the study in question also found that this positive effect increased threefold between the years 2000 and 2010, possibly because pubs have become increasingly important because, as in Ireland, other essential services, such as post offices and village shops, have closed. The study also highlights the fact that parishes with pubs have more community events, such as sports matches, charity events and social clubs, than those which do not have pubs. Put simply, opportunities for community initiatives would be vastly reduced or non-existent in these parishes without the presence of a pub. The same applies to Ireland, if not more so.

Local Garda stations - in the days before a number of them were closed - were not just places where somebody could go to get assistance with some aspect of State administration. Very often, a person would use the opportunity of his or her visit to keep gardaí informed of any suspicious activity of which he or she might be aware. To a great degree, the pub is now the only place where members of a local community can share information and concerns and, by so doing, help to support and protect each other.

Nor should we forget the key role pubs, including those in rural areas, play in the context of the tourism industry. Research shows that more than 80% of tourists frequent pubs to get food or for entertainment purposes. The pub is the number one tourism attraction for many people who visit Ireland. Let us also not forget that the Irish pub was previously voted as the number one tourist attraction in Ireland by the Lonely Planet guide.

There is a jobs aspect to rural pubs. Current figures indicate that more than 90,000 people are dependent on the drinks industry for employment. The majority of these individuals work in the pub trade. The reality is that pubs create badly-needed jobs - often part-time in nature - in rural areas where there is not much other employment. The closure of huge numbers of these rural pubs, which is the inevitable outcome if this legislation is passed, will mark the end of these rural villages in all but name. In many of these villages, the picture is usually the same: the creamery closed long ago; the local meal store is closed; the hardware shop is closed; the post office is closed; the petrol station is closed; and the comer shop is either closed or on the brink of closure. The local pub is often the only survivor, even though it probably only opens at night or on weekends. Through this proposed legislation, we are now threatening to close that too. The closure of these pubs will have very significant effects on rural areas and those who live there. Already cut off from society, this final straw will further isolate these people. The consequential results will manifest themselves in ever-increasing mental health issues, including depression and a rising rate of suicide. Those living alone go to the local pub to meet friends, have a drink or two and then go home. This is the highlight of their week apart, perhaps, from attending mass in the local church.

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