Mary Ann O'Brien (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In the committee rooms yesterday, unusually, representatives from the alcohol sector attended a meeting of Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Also, the alcohol consumption in Ireland document was published yesterday. I do not know whether any of the Members were in the AV room last week where Alcohol Ireland make a good presentation. It is timely that we would ask the Minister for Health to come in and have an in-depth debate on alcohol, its effects on our culture and on suicide rates, and the cost to health and the economy, with an absolute focus on our young people and on sport and sponsorship. It is an elephant, not in the room but in the country. It is something that we must address for the long term.