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The Minister of State, Patrick O’Donovan, has asked the government to examine the opening hours of licenses and the volume of alcohol that can be purchased at any time.
“When you see that slabs of cans are taken home, you know that they are not taking them home for a desktop [drink],” he said.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, the deputy minister said he raised this issue in the Fine Gael parliamentary party last night.
He spoke after the Level 3 restrictions went into effect across the country at midnight.
The Limerick TD said the test should be done quickly to be effective within the three-week period of Level 3 restrictions.
He said public health officials have made it clear that uncontrolled alcohol consumption has a direct impact on the spread of Covid-19.
“We’re asking people to exercise common sense here. When you see slabs of cans being brought home, you know they don’t take them home for an after-dinner snack. We can’t pretend house parties don’t go they clearly are, “Donovan said.
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He said, “You see people with nothing but alcohol in their shopping carts. In the last few weeks a culture has developed that this is okay. It’s not okay.”
The minister explained that his brother is a tavern keeper, of whom he said, “like many pubs and hotels they have followed guidelines to the letter, and have not been responsible for the spread of the virus.”
“But we know that uncontrolled alcohol use is a big part of the problem,” he added.
In response, the National Off-License Association has warned against any changes to the opening hours of the small family businesses it represents.
In a statement, the NOffLA said it would instead call for the “immediate start of the minimum unit price (MUP), which has been available to the government as an option to restrict the sale of ultra-cheap alcohol since 2018.”
In the statement, Evelyn Jones, NOffLA Director of Government Affairs, said: “As small and independent outsiders, we do not often see bulk purchases of alcohol as we would at large mixed retailers / supermarkets.
“On the contrary, our customers would buy in smaller volumes, often looking for a more premium product for special occasions.
“However, with the new restrictions on family / social gatherings, we are seeing sales volumes gradually decrease for these types of purchases as well.
“Most of the licenses in foreign trade are in the hands of supermarkets, service stations and convenience stores; the small and independent licenses that NOffLA represents represent only one third of the sector in general, approximately.
“However, we agree that there should be more control over the sale and in particular over the price of alcohol so that we can eliminate dangerous or irresponsible consumption. MUP has been shown in Scotland to reduce ultra-cheap alcohol consumption and we therefore request its immediate commencement. “
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