Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Is the Leader aware of the amount of lobbying by the alcohol industry on the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill? I am shocked by the amount of lobbying. I have seen it with my own eyes. I saw seven people from the industry standing around one Deputy in the coffee dock some days ago and I was absolutely horrified. I bumped into one Deputy who told me he had been lobbied five times in one day.

The Bill is about public health. It is a matter of health versus business. We are talking about saving lives here. Three people will die today because of alcohol. I am dealing with the families on a daily basis. It is shocking and I really cannot believe what is occurring. There are Members of the Seanad who are fighting against this Bill and trying to water it down. They have constituents in their own areas who have lost loved ones to alcohol. It is absolutely horrendous and something needs to be done about it. The lobbying really has to stop; it is ridiculous. We have to stop listening to the industries whose representatives are in here fighting against saving lives. Something has to be done about it.