Susan O'Keeffe (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State, who has displayed a warm and very genuine commitment in respect of this issue. I was grateful to hear her give a commitment in respect of getting to the bottom of the problem of alcohol misuse. There have been some dark moments in our history and perhaps this is another such moment which we will be obliged to tackle. As more people come on board and discuss the issue, it will be easier for us to deal with it.

The Minister of State referred to the proliferation of outlets. That is only matched by the proliferation in the number of young people on the streets, particularly late at night. These individuals adopt certain methods to try to imbibe alcohol before they go somewhere else. I spoke to someone recently who indicated that they had brought to a wedding a gift which they had placed under their seat. It was not a gift at all, rather it was a bottle of alcohol that was to be consumed during the reception because the person in question was not prepared to pay the prices charged at the bar. People are going to great lengths to drink in rather odd ways.

If we are to deal with the culture of "getting smashed" which is prevalent among young people, we must seek to establish a relationship between the Departments of Health and Education and Skills. When young people are given information relating to alcohol in their schools, it is presented in a very negative way. They are informed as to what happens when one gets drunk, namely, that one will be arrested, one will become very ill, and so on. It would be of major benefit if the two Departments could engage in a process of joined-up thinking to create some way of understanding young people and their wish to drink. They must also consider how we might counter this wish in an intelligent, more long-term way as opposed to merely wagging the finger at young people and telling them not to drink. That tends to have completely the wrong effect and encourages the young to do the exact opposite to what we have asked them to do.

On advertising and alcohol, I have engaged in lengthy debates with those involved in advertising who state that particular sports would not survive without the support of drinks companies. They also state that advertising revenues are the lifeblood of such sports. At the very time when we need children and young adults to take an interest in sport and in being active, the last thing we want to do by banning alcohol advertising is to leave a vacuum which will lead to sports either going into decline as a result of lost revenue or disintegrating altogether. As a result, the impetus for people to aspire to emulate their great sporting heroes would be lost just when it is needed. There is a need for the Department of Education and Skills to engage in some joined-up thinking with regard to how more sport might be included on the school curriculum. If we are to take action in respect of advertising and alcohol, we will be obliged to fill the vacuum that will inevitably be created by encouraging children, through the school curriculum, to become involved in sport. This would mean that children would be driven by their own understanding of what is involved and would not be obliged to rely on the support provided by sponsors and advertisers. I recognise that sponsors and advertisers have invested a great deal of money in sport but this is an aspect of the matter about which I feel particularly strongly.