Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I seek clarity on when the implementation of minimum unit pricing will come into play. There was much talk that this could not happen until the Northern Ireland Executive would be reconvened. It now holds the record for the longest period for a Government not to sit. That is a significant issue. There are cross-Border implications for having minimum unit pricing on one side of the Border and not having it on the other side. How does the Minister propose to deal with the issue? The measure should be implemented.

If the Minister is not going to implement it, would he consider amending the groceries order? What happened in that regard should not have been allowed to happen when the then Minister, Deputy Micheál Martin, did it many years ago. Alcohol should never have been included in the groceries order. The day the then Minister, Deputy Micheál Martin, included it in the groceries order, it became a means for supermarkets to attract people into their stores, and that has been a big problem. If the Minister cannot introduce minimum unit pricing next week when the legislation is signed by the President, will he examine the groceries order and retail legislation? Will he ask the Cabinet to ensure we deal with the issue from that perspective because if we have to wait until a Northern Ireland Executive is set up or Brexit or whatever else, this important element of the legislation will never be implemented?

That is one of the biggest issues we must address here today. My view is that we must re-examine what the then Minister, Deputy Micheál Martin, did when he had responsibility for that area. Alcohol should never have been a part of the legislation. It made no sense. Alcohol became a loss leader for supermarkets and we have very much paid the price for that. Now we have an opportunity to do something about it. If the Minister cannot introduce minimum unit pricing next week, the following week or before Christmas, he should revert and look for major changes elsewhere.