Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and wish him well in bringing this Bill through the Houses of the Oireachtas. It is important that Senators are allowed the time and space to express any concerns they might have about landmark public health legislation. I commend the Government on bringing it forward. As legislators, we are entitled to raise concerns and seek clarifications and I make no apology to anybody for that. I think the Minister accepts that, as a legislator and Minister responsible for policy.

I want to put on the record my views on alcohol, alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction. It has caused untold problems in the history of Ireland. Binge drinking, the culture of excessive drinking, addiction and alcoholism have caused untold damage to people, families and health services. I have concerns about all of that. When we are bringing forward legislation, we need to bring people with us. I have no doubt the majority of people will support this legislation. The crux of the legislation is the minimum pricing of alcohol. Alcohol is available in excessive volume at too low a price. When one goes to a multinational supermarket at the weekend, one sees trolley loads of slabs of beer being brought out. It is being brought out because it is accessible, cheap and is being aggressively promoted by the alcohol industry and the multinationals. I will address my concerns about section 20 and the impacts it can have on local communities and shops later. The fundamental crux of the problem is access to low-cost beer in huge volumes. That is what is causing the problem. It is finding its way into every home and premises in the country. It is accessible for adults and, unfortunately, children as well. Until we grasp this nettle and aggressively tackle those who are aggressively marketing low cost beer and alcohol, the problem will remain. We have a particular dilemma in Ireland, which was outlined by Senators Reilly and Wilson. We have to listen to their concerns. They are here to voice concerns on behalf of the people they represent. It behoves all of us to listen to them and then see how we can work within the legislation to address those concerns. We should work with our colleagues in Northern Ireland to see if we can bring them to a place parallel to us in addressing this problem.

I want to support the legislation. The Minister knows that. The impression has been given - we heard it in some of the earlier contributions - that there is division in Fine Gael. That could not be further from the truth. We are proud representatives of the Government that is bringing forward this legislation. We will also make our views known, raise our concerns, seek clarification and make no apologies to anyone for that. We are all independently minded people. We are responsible adults and we must respect the intelligence of Members of this House and the public. We can work together to bring forward this legislation in a way that is practical and balanced and which works to address all of our concerns about how alcohol is being abused.