Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael)

I take issue with colleagues, who in good faith claim there is not a case for reducing the excise duty on alcohol. As an educator by profession and as a parent I am as concerned about alcohol problems as anyone else is. Those problems need to be addressed on an ongoing basis. However, we have a crisis along the Border with people going north to shop, which is threatening the entire retail trade. Second and third generation family retail outlets are closing down; it is not just the new lessees. It is a real crisis in all the Border towns. I favour the suggestion in the media that the Government will reduce the excise duty on alcohol. It is necessary to preserve the economy of the Border area. While it is disgraceful and wrong, people are buying €300 worth of alcohol at a time in the North. They are buying other goods because they are there to buy the alcohol. The issue needs to be addressed.

The proposed carbon tax threatens to put petrol stations all along the Border out of action. There is a crisis in the economy of all the Border counties, which is particularly noticeable in Cavan-Monaghan. With the best of intent people are talking about the alcohol issue, which is an important issue that need to be addressed. However, this is not the way to deal with it. We need to preserve the economy and stop people going north to buy the alcohol, which they are going to get anyway.