Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

A young teenager who was standing beside me asked for two naggins of gin. That is not as cheap as Dutch Gold. She must have noticed that the assistant behind the counter was paying particular attention to her features - I mean from the point of view of her youth - because she immediately reached into her pocket and pulled out some sort of identification card to satisfy the shop assistant that she was old enough to purchase drink. She got the drink and she left.

Everybody here has spoken about alcoholism and what it does. I have seen alcoholism in my professional career in two military set-ups. I have seen how it destroys people and families. Most of us would be aware that alcohol has destroyed families. While it can be said that there is something of the nanny state regarding the introduction of legislation that tries to limit, restrict or control the purchase of alcohol, I do not subscribe to that notion in this case. I think this Bill is needed.

Cross-Border alcohol purchases have been mentioned. On my way home from a trip to Northern Ireland recently, I pulled into a Sainsbury's car park to purchase some groceries. There were cars there with Kerry, Cork and Wexford registrations.That is importation, not cross-Border shopping. People are driving hundreds of miles to buy trolley-loads of booze such as those I saw being wheeled out to cars. If we introduce legislation in respect of alcohol on this side of the Border we must be acutely aware that those who want it will find it on the other side.

There should be no alcohol-related loss leaders. A good job has been done in combatting cigarette smoking in recent years although it is beginning to reverse itself. My concern regarding the Bill is that when it is finalised and enacted, many of the adults who I and all others in this room have witnessed outside supermarkets handing over booze they have purchased for some young teenager will continue to do so. I see it every day of the week. I see adults who some kid has given a couple of euro and asked to get him or her a couple of bottles of some type of hooch going into their local Centra or Spar to do so. More is required than just the Bill. The Minister will also have to bring forward an advertising campaign and an entire education programme. He will have to enlighten people to what it actually means. I am speaking as a person whose father took him out on his 15th birthday and asked him what he would have to drink. I asked for a bottle of Coke. Daddy used to buy me a bottle of red lemonade instead of a bottle of Coke-----