Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

It is usually a cause for celebration when a country holds a record in an area of activity. We have had many reasons to celebrate in the past, but we hold one record now which is more of a cause for shame than celebration, namely, alcohol abuse. We hold a number of European records at present. It does not make good reading to know that 54% of Irish adults engage in binge drinking on a weekly basis. Alcohol abuse harms the people directly involved, but it also has tremendous effects on others. We all know the connection between alcohol abuse and killings, crime, traffic accidents, anti-social behaviour where old people are terrorised, family break-ups and so on.

Legislation will help but it will not solve the problem. History has taught us that the reason we had a tradition for alcohol abuse was poverty, yet today we are told it is because we are affluent. We know that neither poverty nor affluence is the cause. Yesterday, in the Select Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the visiting delegation included two consultants from Cluain Mhuire who made one very telling point. They said it is like turning on a tap, where the water flows until it becomes a waterfall and we are at the end trying to catch the water in buckets. That is what we are trying to do to solve the problems of alcohol abuse. The consultants said it was far more important to go to the source and turn off the tap.