Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State. I congratulate Senator Marc MacSharry on the work he has done in drafting the Bill which deals with a very important issue. Anything we can do to prevent people from committing suicide is absolutely vital. I support the provision under which it is proposed to raise €200 million in funding for the National Office for Suicide Prevention. Like previous speakers, I am of the view that EU competition law must be imposed both in pubs and off-licences and that there are decisions of the court which apply in this regard.
We must recognise that the rate of alcohol consumption is falling. The younger generation is much more responsible than that of which I am a member when it comes, for example, to drink driving. There has been a massive reduction in the number of road fatalities caused by drink driving. The next reduction will result from vehicle adaptation. For example, Matthews bus company in the Minister of State's constituency has installed alcohol locks on all its buses. The installation of the relevant devices adds relatively little to the cost of buses and the devices could also be fitted to other vehicles. It would also be possible to fit devices which monitor eye movements in order to detect when drivers are exhausted and which automatically stop the vehicle as a result. We could do a great deal more in dealing with this matter and I have informed the Minister, Deputy Leo Varadkar, that we should participate in and promote the relevant programme. Safer vehicles wll be the next stage in the process.
Members of the younger generation are much more responsible in their use of alcohol; consumption levels are falling and at least one pub closes every week. We must engage in a wider discussion on the causes of suicide. For example, we must ask whether alcohol caused someone to commit suicide or whether he or she took to it after the rest of his or her life had fallen apart. We have been inclined, particularly in recent times, to place the blame on drink. The Economist Pocket World in Figuresstates we drink substantially less than people in most other countries and shows that in 2009 the figure for alcoholic drink sales per head of population in Australia, which was first on the list, was 99.4 litres, while in Ireland which was 23rd on the list, the figure was 63.5 litres.
There is literature which indicates that people who have three drinks are on a binge.

We looked up "binge" in the Oxford English Dictionaryand one of the definitions was of a spree. I do not think anyone would regard it as a shopping spree if he or she bought three items. Some of this has developed a head of steam that is not often based on the research. Other countries consume more, particularly in the Mediterranean countries where they have wine with meals. It is part of their lives and they do not have the attitude of demonisation we do. Having said that, if there is a need for funding for suicide prevention, Senator MacSharry's proposals to the Minister for Finance, Deputy Noonan, are well worth supporting. I will support them here today. However, we need research on the causes of suicide but the budget, as Senator O'Brien said, is very small notwithstanding the increase from €4 million to €8 million.
Let us adopt a more comprehensive approach. Whether people have stopped drinking in pubs and are taking it home is not germane to the issue. In fact, one could argue that it is safer that they drink at home where they are not at large and all they can do is fall upstairs. I have looked up the numbers from the Garda Síochána reports and note that incidents of drunk and disorderly behaviour represent a small proportion of total crime. Let us control and manage this and listen to what Senator MacSharry has said, but let us not get it out of proportion.
The proposals the Government is considering on minimum pricing will affect low-income people much more than the rest of us. Do we want that kind of income distribution effect from Government policy? It will not affect the €100 bottle of champagne consumed in an exclusive club. Why do we pick on people down the line by insisting that something the market wants to produce for "X" becomes "2X"? The idea that any of the money should go to the drinks industry, which unsophisticated minimum pricing would lead to, is unacceptable. It should all go to the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and those others who are in charge of the national finances.
I commend Senator MacSharry. We must address suicide and we need a more balanced approach to drink than has been common in the country in recent times.