Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)

Wait until the media get their hands on that colourful story.

This Bill is a balanced approach but I agree with Senator Ryan that the proof of the pudding, as it were, will be in the enforcement. One can have all the laws one likes but if they are not enforced, they are window dressing. If a law is to be enforceable, it must be one that works. Gardaí were confronted with a situation where they had to be in uniform to detect an offence. Sixteen and 17 year olds were able to spend all night in a pub drinking minerals and/or alcopops and unless a garda could work out whose drink was whose when he or she went into the premises, he or she could not prove any offence. Age cards were voluntary and publicans who sought them risked their business going to other pubs in the town.

There is a combination here of having an enforceable law and then asking the Garda Síochána to enforce it. I strongly maintain that we must have a tough enough approach to the enforcement of our laws. I do not agree with everything the Americans do, and sometimes in relation to matters legal and penal they are a bit retributive and unforgiving. However, their age limits on alcohol are tough and under age people do not get drink in America. People do not break the law and serve people under age because their premises will be closed. We, however, are inclined to give people a few chances and take a soft view on the law.

If we are serious about under age drinking – which we should be – we should have a law that is workable. This does not just apply to 16 and 17 year olds. We are talking about protecting young girls in the 18 to 25 age group from being found helpless on the street outside a super pub, not knowing when they get to the casualty unit whether they were sexually assaulted or not – and not because of rohypnol but massive indulgence in alcohol. We are talking about protecting lives from being ruined. We are talking about young men who get into fights and give each other a thump in the jaw, suddenly leading to brain damage because of one of them hits his head off a pavement.

We are talking about many lives which can be blighted from a completely ravenous approach to alcohol, which some of our counter-culture seems to be selling at the moment as cool. I do not want to get into moralistic mode because, frankly, I like drink and have no problem with people drinking. I do not want to get overly-moralistic, but when a group of publicans came to me about this legislation, one of them described how, in some premises, a regular form of drink ordered is a pint glass with two Bacardi Breezers and one or two shots added to strengthen it. That is sold with ice to teenagers. It is an almost lethal combination. If those things are being served to youngsters in pubs, it is no wonder that they get into serious difficulties with alcohol very quickly.