Catherine Noone (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Could we have a bit of quiet in the House? I welcome moves undertaken by the Minister for Health, my constituency colleague, Deputy Leo Varadkar, to attempt to tackle the troubled Irish relationship with alcohol. He announced yesterday the long-awaited drinks legislation under which we will see a ban on alcohol advertising near schools, playgrounds and public transport. That can only be welcomed. Under the new law, we will see a minimum price of €7.60 on a bottle of wine. Alcohol in supermarkets has become like any other product such as milk or butter and one now throws in a few bottles of wine into the trolley. We have become too relaxed in our consumption of alcohol and it is clearly not doing us any favours as a society. The Bill will also introduce a minimum price for a can of beer.

We must be concerned about alcohol. It was one thing when people were drinking in pubs, and perhaps drinking to excess, but at least people were there, such as the publican and members of society, to keep an eye on them but if people are drinking a huge volume at home, in many cases they are putting themselves in huge danger. From that point of view, the Bill is greatly to be welcomed.

A criticism of the Bill is that it will affect the more vulnerable people in society but it is a small price to pay for the overall reduction in the amount of binge drinking, in particular, among teenagers and young people.When will it be presented to the House? I hope it will be dealt before the Government finishes its term.