Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am very pleased to be back in the Seanad for what is the concluding stage of the most important piece of public health legislation that will be enacted this year. I welcome the opportunity to take Senators through the amendments made in the Dáil. Obviously, that is all we are doing at this stage because the Bill has been passed by both Seanad Éireann and Dáil Éireann. We are simply back in the Seanad today to seek its approval for the amendments made in the Dáil, rather than reinitiating the entire debate about this landmark legislation.

Amendment No. 1 concerns health data to be considered when amending the minimum price per gram of alcohol. Section 11(3) provides that the Minister for Health of the day may make an order to increase the minimum unit price per gram for the purposes of the Bill. Subsection (5) provides that the Minister for Health of the day may take into account relevant data as part of these considerations. The amendment tabled by Deputy Louise O'Reilly, for which I thank her, is sensible and a good addition to the Bill. It proposes that data from health services and alcohol related presentations at health facilities also be taken into account when determining changes to minimum unit pricing and that these data be included in the list of considerations in the section. As we know, alcohol and alcohol related disease constitute a massive burden on the health service. About 1,500 hospital beds are taken up each and every night as a result of alcohol related conditions. Much more importantly, it is a massive burden on families and communities across the country. This amendment is beneficial and I was pleased to be in a position to accept it in the Dáil. Consideration of such data could only assist the Minister of the day in making an informed decision in that regard.