Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Lundbeck, which is a pharmaceutical company that specialises in psychiatric drugs, had a conference recently in Dublin which was very interesting. Alastair Campbell spoke at it. The conference was an eyeopener for many who attended. The statistic that alcohol is involved in half of all suicides is shocking. When one hears it first it can easily pass one by as a statistic but if one were to replace it with practically any other substance then one could be guaranteed that we would make a greater effort to curb its use and influence on society. It seems that there is an endemic acceptance of alcohol and its effect on the way we behave in this country.

I welcome the work of the steering group and the recommendations. Its report is a roadmap for future policy direction on the use and misuse of alcohol. I agree with Senator Crown that we must take a radical, holistic approach to the issue. Alcohol encompasses many strands of society and education is fundamental. The point was made that young people do not drink and drive now, which is fantastic, but it has come about through education and cultural change. The issue must be tackled from the top down and the bottom up - from every angle - in order that we realise how unusual our relationship with alcohol is in this country. The key recommendations of the group have been discussed and are worthy of debate but I do not propose to go into them as other speakers have dealt extensively with them. Any measure, such as minimum pricing, that could help to reduce the overall consumption of alcohol is to be welcomed.

The commencement of section 9, in addition to further advertising restrictions, is vital and must be enacted in parallel with minimum pricing legislation. I disagree with Senator Mary White's proclamations about Fianna Fáil?s great success in this area. I accept a code of conduct was put in place but it called for certain measures to be introduced ?as far as possible? but they are not being introduced and the code is not being adhered to or policed. Section 9 was never enacted. The previous Government was lobbied heavily by the big supermarkets, which is why the section was not enacted. Let us call it as it is. I hope we as a Government will have the strength and courage to stand up to such lobbying and to implement the provisions of the legislation.

Pubs are a fundamental part of Irish culture and, but for the excesses, it would be a perfectly acceptable culture. We must come up with creative ways to get people into pubs who do not want to drink. I do not want to drink all the time when I am in a pub. I rarely do so. I asked for peppermint tea recently in a pub and the look I got suggested I had not ten but 20 heads. We must come up with creative ways across the board to deal with alcohol. Publicans and those who are trying to survive in a market concerned with the sale of alcohol must come up with creative ways to deal with the problems. I had a million other things to say but, unfortunately, the time is short. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Alex White, for his presence.