Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the further reduction in roaming charges today thanks to the European Commission. Ms Neelie Kroes, the Commission's vice president, has done the right thing, as it will benefit tourism and business. In our digital age, it is important that businesses continue to thrive at home and abroad. This is a step towards the realisation of a vision of an interconnected Europe and I encourage the Commission to go further and allow people to use their telephones as if they were at home by the end of the year. This is the Commission's intention.

I wish to raise the issue of water safety, given the two tragic drownings last weekend. The forecast is for good weather. While we are glad of that, water safety is something of which we must all be mindful. One in three drownings is alcohol related. Of the 140 people who died last year, one third had alcohol on board. A large percentage of those in question were under 21 years of age. I put this problem down to the ridiculously cheap drink that is available to young people. One can get a can for 89 cent in Lidl or a 250 ml bottle of beer for 41 cent in Aldi. International surveys shows that, if the price of drink is cut, people buy more. It is not necessarily targeted at them, but this benefits young people who want to purchase drink. I call on the Deputy Leader to invite the Minister of State, Deputy White, to the Chamber as soon as possible to discuss the upcoming legislation, particularly as regards minimum pricing. We are constrained somewhat, as we are waiting to see what happens with the Scottish Government's case in the EU. This is a serious issue and I would appreciate if attention was given to it.