Eamon Scanlon (Fianna Fail)

I am glad to have an opportunity to speak on this issue. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and congratulate him on his appointment. I read the report which contains some startling figures regarding the ages of children who are drinking and the numbers of those under the age of 15 who drink regularly. One wonders where they get this drink. In defence of publicans who are generally demonised, many of those I know, some of whom are my friends, are responsible, hard-working people operating in a highly-regulated business environment. They have families and understand the problems connected with young people. They work extremely hard, seven days a week, 363 days a year to provide for their families, to educate them and so on. As in every walk of life there are rogues too and those caught making drink available to people who are under age should be dealt with severely because this causes a serious problem.

The report also indicates that young adolescents are accessing alcohol in their family homes. This is where parental control becomes an issue. We all imagine our children are angels and will not indulge in certain behaviours. Unfortunately, this is often not the case. Parents should be made more aware of the dangers of having alcohol easily available in their homes. Such is the situation in my home and I am sure it is the case for most people. It is an issue we must consider.

The drinks industry also made a submission to the task force and I agree with only some elements of that submission. Its contention that increases in taxation are not a deterrent is correct. We have reached the point where there is sufficient taxation on alcohol. It has been evident through the years that price is not a deterrent. If people want alcohol, they will manage to obtain it regardless of price.

I disagree with the industry's submission that the blood alcohol level for motorists should be changed. It is a simple reality that one should not drive if one has had an alcoholic drink. This is the approach taken by 90% of people and we must continue to encourage that attitude.

I welcome that the drinks industry has given a commitment in the report to support an advertising campaign to illustrate the dangers of alcohol and encourage people to abstain from its consumption. We should ensure the industry stands by that commitment.

Garages as well as off-licences can now sell alcohol. Most of these sales are conducted using computerised tills and the bar code of the product is scanned. A system could be easily introduced whereby these sales are recorded. In this way, when a young person is found to have consumed alcohol, it should be possible to discover where the alcohol was purchased. This is an issue that must be examined. A friend of mine who owns a supermarket that operates an off-licence service was recently the object of a complaint by a parent whose 16 year old child had become drunk on alcohol purchased from that outlet. After checking with staff, the owner discovered that an 18 year old had purchased the alcohol and sold it to some under age acquaintances at a profit. This is what is happening and is the root of much of the problem. The actions of that 18 year old constitute a serious offence, regardless of whether he had gifted rather than sold the alcohol, and should be recognised as such.