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Ireland's drinking problem goes beyond Arthur's Day - An Taoiseach
The Taoiseach was asked today if he supported a boycott of Arthur’s Day, but said that Ireland’s relationship with alcohol goes beyond one day.
ENDA KENNY HAS weighed in on the growing debate surrounding this Thursday’s Arthur’s Day festival.
Asked today by Labour TD Robert Dowds if he supported a boycott of the campaign by Guinness manufacturer Diageo.
However, the Taoiseach said that Ireland’s problems with alcohol go far beyond one Thursday’s indulgences.
“It doesn’t take any particular day to have an impact on the situation in Ireland’s accident and emergency departments,” said Kenny.
“One only has to look at the fact that any time, 2,000 beds are taken up in our health system because of the consequences of drink for validation of that.”
Kenny went on to say that Ireland’s drinking culture is something that will have to be examined.
It is part of our culture that has to change. And because of the impact it has on the destruction of families and the societal change that it causes, not just because of the cost.
Kenny said that new legislation covering the sale of alcohol will go to sub-committee in the coming months.
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