Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail)

We must be ever more vigilant. Change will not happen overnight. As Bob Dylan said, we have to keep on keeping on.

Another issue that might be examined is the question of food provision at major events, which is a bugbear of mine. People believe they can drop their standards with regard to sporting occasions, rock festivals and the like, where shoddy practices are in evidence. I am amazed there are not more reports of food poisoning and ill health as a result. My particular hobby-horse for years was the quality of catering at racecourses, which was a scandal, although the prices were straight from Maxim's. The predecessor of the Horse Racing Authority, the Irish Racing Board, tackled this issue with great success and one is now assured of clean, safe food at racecourses. The prices are still Parisian but that is another matter.

No reference was made to drinks. I am concerned with health and safety issues in this area owing to the proliferation of available spirits, especially vodka. There are now many themed vodka bars and specialist hostelries where customers do not know exactly what is being consumed. There are also vodka-laced alcopops which are quite lethal. While we must depend on the maturity of adults, there is a health issue due to the lack of knowledge in this area.

Scotch whisky seems to be accepted as the premium whiskey throughout the world, when any judge of whiskey knows the best Scotch only comes close to the purity and maturity of an Irish whiskey.