Joe McHugh (Fine Gael)

They do not want to be with adults. We do not want to go back to the days of youth clubs where young adults were under the supervision of parents, volunteers or the local parish priest. We must afford young adults the opportunity to be under supervision in a controlled environment but with young people, perhaps 18 to 21 year olds, working with them in a paid capacity.

Pubs are seriously feeling the pinch. The Minister does not need me to tell him that. Day time drinking is on the way out as is week night drinking. The trend is changing. People will ask whether it is the smoking ban or the increase in the price of drink. It is a combination of a number of factors. Society is changing. I have sympathy for good publicans who operate good public houses and who would not serve people if they came in drunk at 11.30 p.m. There are ambassadors in terms of good practice in public houses.

I believe Senator Bohan hinted at the massive economic implication. A considerable amount of employment is provided by public houses. In Letterkenny, staff are being laid off. I am not demeriting the smoking ban but maybe we should consider facilitating people in a room separate from the main public house.

We received literature in our post today from Restaurant Express. It is tapping into the change in society in terms of people staying at home. Perhaps it is because the price of drink in pubs is becoming expensive. The literature refers to dining out at home. I am giving good publicity to Heineken if "Oireachtas Report" decides to broadcast this debate but the literature states that one can get 20% off one's bill if one orders six or more bottles of Heineken with one's Restaurant Express food after 8 p.m. This is a reality check. There is a complete change in social behaviour. The implications of this are very dangerous. If couples are meeting in each other's houses, what happens young people when they are not being supervised? This is uncontrolled drinking until perhaps 6 a.m.

Despite serving restrictions, the smoking ban and trying to introduce a nanny state, Irish people like to drink. We are not talking about prohibition as in the United States in 1929. People will drink elsewhere in uncontrolled environments. It will damage the pub trade which proved a controlled environment in which people could drink. That is the danger.