Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Senator even has the Cathaoirleach distracted. I compliment the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy Fitzgerald, and the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, on their child care initiative announced in the past 24 hours. They are indicating that they will roll out this initiative on a pilot basis for after-school care and provide a subsidy. That is welcome in this era of austerity and it will go some way towards relieving the difficulty that families are facing, especially single parent families, in placing children in child care facilities at an affordable price.

Will the Leader consider inviting in either the Minister of State with responsibility for sport, Deputy Ring, or the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Varadkar, to discuss alcohol sponsorship of sport? The Joint Committee on Transport, Energy and Communications, of which I am a member, has been holding hearings in recent weeks. We have invited in representatives of the various sporting bodies as well as the drinks federations. I imagine Members are familiar with this because it has received some considerable coverage. We should have an opportunity to debate the issue in this House because it is a hot and topical issue.

My position is that I have always been and remain somewhat uncomfortable about the strong connection between alcohol sponsorship and sporting activity. That is not to say that I am either against it or for it; I simply feel uncomfortable about it. I am sure there are Members on both sides of the House who have opinions which they would wish to express on this matter and it would be helpful if the Government formed an opinion. I am unsure whether he was speaking personally or on behalf of the Government but I understand the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, is on record as saying that he was supportive of the continuation of the sponsorship of sport by drinks companies. It is an issue. It was put in focus following the report in yesterday's Irish Independent by a number of leading medical personnel, who pointed out that the incidence of liver disease had doubled since 1995, especially among those between 15 and 40 years. I am not suggesting that the drinks companies are directly responsible for that because of their sponsorship of sporting activities but I have asked the question of whether they bear any responsibility, apart from considering how to present the most glamorous advertisements on television to attract more people to drink. They argue that they are attempting to draw from their competitors rather than increase the overall consumption of drink.

Without rehearsing the debate, all I am suggesting is that there are several aspects to the issue that should be aired in the House. The exercise would be helpful to the Government in forming a conclusion. The issue has been around for a long time and it will not go away. It is evident to me from my experience in recent weeks of listening to the various witnesses making their presentations at the committee that this issue needs to get a continuing airing.