Nicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

I ask the Leader to do that. Many wholesalers welcomed the decision, announced in last Wednesday's budget, to reduce the level of excise duty imposed on alcohol from midnight that night. A wholesaler in my constituency, who has been through the trauma of having their premises flooded, has said that their Christmas stock is worthless as a result of the reduction in excise duty. Their customers can now go to the supermarket to buy alcohol at a lower price. The wholesaler will lose out by between 10% and 12%. I call on the Leader to ask the Minister for Finance to put in place a compensation package for wholesalers who find themselves in the dreadful position of having worthless stock.