Maura Hopkins (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There has been a lot of discussion today about the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill 2015 and in the main there has been really strong support for its objectives of trying to deal with binge drinking, particularly among young people, and addiction.

On section 20, the Minister has been reasonable in trying to come up with a practical, cost-effective solution for retailers. That is what we need to see. There has been much discussion of small retailers. In respect of the Minister's efforts to try to reach a solution for them, it is important to see a better, cost-effective practical solution for small to medium-sized retailers.From my point of view, the major issue is access to large volumes of cheap alcohol and much of today's discussion has focused on that issue. We need to target below-cost selling by the multiples, which are advertising vigorously, and it is critical that minimum unit pricing is implemented as quickly as possible. As I said, the major issue is access, particularly by young people, to large volumes of cheap alcohol. Others have said it already: there is no one solution but many different solutions. Education, enforcement, cost and, overall, a culture change are key. The culture change is relevant to our debate on segregation. We are trying to ensure that we do not treat bread and milk like we treat alcohol. A solution can be found, however. The Bill seems to have cross-party support but this final section needs a practical and cost-effective solution for small to medium-sized retailers. That the Minister has agreed to engage with the retail sector on achieving such a solution is positive.