A leading TD has called on the Government to do more when it comes to tackling under age drinking after she claimed that young teens are being given easy access to alcohol
The latest call from Galway deputy Anne Rabbitte TD, comes after a meeting between minister’s was held last night to discuss the growing problem of alcohol use amongst young people.
In a scathing attack Ms Rabbitte called on the Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald to do more to make sure the current laws regarding the distribution of alcohol are enforced properly.
Ms Rabbitte also claimed that young people are coming up with more ingenious ways to cover up how they consume alcohol, and she has seen proof in the form of sliced oranges laced with vodka.
In her brief outburst Ms Rabbitte talked about the 1998 Act and the issue of delivering alcohol to minors, telling the House “That is where her biggest concern lies.”
Minister Rabbitte explained: “I am at the stage of bringing teenagers to discos and when I pull up to the disco I am turning into one of those mothers who stays in the car and watches to make sure they go in the door.If I turn my eye and look down along the canal or the walkway, as it is called in Loughrea, I am watching the over-18s sell the cans and bottles.I am a mother in that moment, not a deputy or anything else.”
“I see the oranges being handed over that have been frozen with vodka, so they can suck on the oranges as they are standing there.I am talking about second and third-year discos.”