Seanad debates

Wednesday, 5 December 2012

11:00 am

Photo of Deirdre CluneDeirdre Clune (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to again raise the issue of the sale of alcohol. The Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Alex White, has been in office for a number of months and I look forward to the development of his policy. I hope it is near completion at this stage because it is badly needed. Dr. Declan Bedford addressed the Irish Medical Organisation in the Royal College of Surgeons last week about the dangers of alcohol and the fact that Ireland is a nation of binge drinkers "with a dangerous ambivalence towards alcohol". That should ring true for many of us. He called for restrictions on the point of sale of alcohol and price controls. He also told delegates that we had more places in the country where alcohol is sold than shops to buy fruit, vegetables or milk. Time and again, we hear that the number of outlets where alcohol is for sale is at a dangerous level and it needs to be restricted. Minimum pricing is needed. A recent 10% increase in the minimum price of alcohol led to a significant decrease in consumption. Will the Deputy Leader ask the Minister of State about progress on the sale of alcohol Bill and the development of his policy in this regard and schedule an urgent debate on this issue? We need to address this. The Government will be two years in office in a number of months and it was promised that we would get to grips with this. I am concerned about the access young people have to alcohol.

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