Michael Mullins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is appropriate that there are many young people in the Gallery at the moment in light of the issue I am about to raise, namely, a survey on alcohol use in the 18 to 24 year age group published today by Alcohol Action Ireland. This survey has some alarming statistics. One quarter of the respondents reported that they experienced a variety of harm as a result of another person's drinking. The survey found that one in 11 said that a family member had been assaulted by a person under the influence of drink, 45% said they go out of their way to avoid drunk people or places where drinkers were known to hang out, 21% said they were kept awake at night as a result of late night drinking, 18% said they felt unsafe while waiting for public transport and 12% said they were involved in a serious argument.

I ask the Leader to organise a debate at an early stage to discuss alcohol and alcohol abuse. I know this has been raised on a number of occasions. Not alone is there an impact on young people's health, relationships, the cost to the health service-----