Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this issue. To know where we are going, but we must find out where we are at. We must start by being honest. As a society, we must say we are a nation which likes to drink. At any festivity or occasion, whether a World Cup in Germany or Florida, we are all flat out on the beer and that is socially acceptable.

I was in Orlando during the 1994 World Cup and people from Holland and Ireland drank massive amounts. The recent World Cup was a disaster for people in this country. Those in Japan enjoyed it but people here were drinking from 7 a.m. They were in pubs and were drunk by 2 p.m. Marriages were on the brink by 6 p.m.