Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for dealing with this by way of a compromise and for taking on board the concerns raised by Senators. He was prepared to sit down and deal with the issues relating to segregation. I refer back to the work of Senator Buttimer and the health committee, of which I am a member and which looked at this matter comprehensively during the lifetime of the previous Oireachtas. The committee brought in all of the people who deal with this area. Senator Buttimer referred to one of the people who gave evidence.

We face a major challenge in dealing with this issue and the health problems to which it gives rise. Average consumption per capitais 11.46 l but one in five people in the country do not drink. The real average therefore is 46 l of vodka per annum per person. We face and will continue to face major health issues over a long number of years. As a result, this is not about a change in one area; it is about a change in many areas in the context of advertising, minimum unit pricing and segregation. The Minister has outlined that he is prepared to look at segregation. The 8% figure to which people have referred relates to more than 4,000 retail units. I do not accept that 4,000 retail units sell only 8% of the alcohol. The figure is far higher than that.

Senator McDowell expressed the concern regarding minimum unit pricing to the effect that there would be no increase in the multiples. My understanding is that the price of Tesco vodka will rise from €12.99 to €20.71.