Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

The Minister is a frequent visitor to the House which is indicative of the amount of legislation he is dealing with, his attention to his portfolio and the frequency with which this House raises issues of public importance. This Bill amends all of the licensing laws since 1833, a period of 170 years. I was speaking to Senator Moylan earlier today and he told me he had recently come across a report in the local newspaper that a person had been fined a number of shillings under one of the provisions of the licensing laws. The court had to be adjourned for an hour in order that calculators could be consulted to determine what the fine should be. It must have been a mandatory fine. That demonstrates the need to update the law, a point that has been made regularly. This legislation is a step in the right direction in that regard.

The Commission on Liquor Licensing, which deserves our compliments, was established in 2000 and issued its report in March 2003. Much of the content of this Bill is a result of that report. It would be churlish not to acknowledge the Minister's commitment in so expeditiously dealing with the recommendations and ensuring they were brought before the House just three months after the report was issued. In the past 12 months this House has had many debates on alcohol abuse and public order, both of which are connected to the Bill to a greater or lesser degree. The Bill deals with combating drunkenness, disorderly conduct, under age and binge drinking. It is intended to ensure compliance with and enforcement of the intoxicating liquor code.

It is worth noting that this issue commanded the attention of the social partners which provided in chapter two of Sustaining Progress that an effort be made to tackle alcohol abuse. This abuse has a devastating effect on individuals and those around them. Alcohol abuse within families not only causes immediate trauma but can have a lifelong adverse effect on children exposed to it at an early age. The Minister has taken a strong stance in addressing this issue.

I welcome the definition of "drunkenness" in section 2. I presume it is the result of consultation with various parties. It states that a drunken person "means a person who is intoxicated to such an extent as would give rise to a reasonable apprehension that the person might endanger himself or herself or any other person in the vicinity, and "drunk" and "drunkenness" are to be construed accordingly". It is a good and logical definition. People acting in that manner obviously need to be taken to task by the licensee and the legal authorities.