Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Bill and congratulate the Minister and his officials on the comprehensive response they have given to much of the debate that has taken place, not just in this House but in public. Whenever there are high-profile cases of anti-social behaviour, ending in some cases not just in violence but in death, this House invariably has long discussions on the Order of Business. Each time we had such a discussion it was based on a specific incident, but it always seemed to disappear quickly into the ether. I watched a series of television programmes about the streets of Britain, on which people are shown spilling out from nightclubs and engaging in thuggish behaviour. There is also violence, much of which, I am sure, ends in the destruction of individuals. Against that background we have had a similar "Prime Time" programme in Ireland, showing that abuse of alcohol — and, I presume, other substances — does not take place only in Britain or in other countries. While we might be accused of restricting the rights of people to enjoy themselves, we must also remember the rights of those who are on the receiving end of such anti-social behaviour, which represents the majority of people. Old people have had to lock themselves into their homes as into a prison. They have no sense of security or safety. When this issue is raised, people sometimes make fun of it. It is vital that we come forward and take a stand in this regard.

I reiterate what Senator Mullen said with regard to advertising. We are dealing with a drug; it is as simple as that. We also know that alcohol is harmful to health. I have discussed the consequences in terms of safety but there is no doubt that it also destroys people's health. We know this from the hospital records and reports. It is strange that while we have health warnings on cigarettes, we do not have such warnings for alcohol. Cigarettes cannot be advertised in certain circumstances. Likewise, why should alcohol advertising be allowed? I do not think that in this way we are demonising the publicans or the outlets. We cannot generalise in this regard. If we take a small pub in rural Ireland, it is a place where people gather for a social evening. Often it is the only social outlet. However, this cannot be compared to a nightclub in the city which allows people after hours of drinking, to come out on to the streets at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. Generalisation is not always helpful.

The off-licence area is one that must be constantly monitored. Often, when driving in a car, I have seen relatively young people carrying six-packs out of off-licences in large quantities and bring them to wherever they will drink. There is no supervision and no way to tell whether they are under age or over age. The consequences of that type of drinking include not just those I have mentioned but the debris and so on that is left behind. The only way we can tackle this is to remind ourselves of the seriousness of the situation. There have been several criticisms of certain sections of this legislation and some of that has come from the nightclubs. I would not generalise and criticise all nightclubs as I do not have much experience of them. I presume most of them are properly supervised. However, it is only fair that time restrictions be placed on them to ensure the rights of other people. Those who object to certain restrictions that have been mentioned here should think of that. There is sufficient time in which to sell and consume drink. I do not think we should spend too much time having to listen to such objections.

The issue of theatre licences has already been raised by Senator Ross. There is no doubt that such licences were being abused in certain circumstances and that there were loopholes. However, for well run theatres, particularly those with tiered seating, rather than those with huge areas that are not theatres in a real sense, the idea of being able to sell drink an hour before the performance and for a certain time after was a good one. I would like to think that the 90% of venues that run their facilities properly run them as a service rather than as a financial undertaking. I would not like this service to be hindered as it allows the consumption of alcohol in a controlled social situation.

Something we might consider for future legislation is a method of allowing bed and breakfast facilities to serve a drink at night. There is no doubt that bed and breakfasts are under severe pressure at the moment. In recent years 50% of them have gone out of business. We will be left with nothing but the major facilities that can accommodate 30 or 40 guests. Small bed and breakfasts are particularly attractive facilities for people who wish to engage with Irish people in the home, but one of the disadvantages they face is that they cannot sell drinks. There should be some way we can help in this regard because these facilities have been caught in the net of health and safety, bureaucracy and over-regulation. I hope we will consider this in the future, no matter how radical it might seem, because it is an important issue.

There are times when we should listen very carefully before we engage in generalisation. I remember when the number of drinks one could consume was gradually reduced due to anti-social behaviour in cities. However, this also affected older people in rural Ireland who went down to their local pubs two or three nights a week for one or two pints. To a large degree they have been prevented from doing this and have now become isolated in their own homes. In the past three or four months I have heard people talk about the isolation now being experienced in rural Ireland, although not always in this context. President McAleese spoke about this and said it is necessary for all community organisations to do something about it.

In fairness, we should keep an eye on the difficulty facing older people who cannot go into a social setting for a drink, however many nights per week that may be.