James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If alcohol has a value, it is as a social lubricant. I refer to the pub, the club and places where there is supervision and an opportunity to mix. As I stated, alcohol is not like other products. It causes cancer. We have to educate our children about it. We have to have an approach like the one we took to tobacco, and it should be multifaceted. There are many good measures in the Bill. There is more we can do, but can we not start with what we have before us, move it quickly through the House, and not allow a situation to arise where people will look on afterwards and say there was filibustering on this Bill to delay it?

There are parents watching this debate who are worried about their children. Early Childhood Ireland, the ISPCC, Barnardos, many medical organisations and others are concerned about children and young people. Youth organisations that have 40,000 volunteers are concerned about this issue, so I ask the Members to think about all of those as well as what I believe the Minister of State has achieved, namely, a proportionate response to a serious public health risk.