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Senator praises Moville Alcohol
Project
11.01.08
A DONEGAL senator has
said an initiative running in her hometown should be
held up as a model of how to tackle the problem of
underage and binge drinking at local level.
Senator Cecilia Keaveney praised the Moville Alcohol
Project in light of the Government decision to form
an advisory group on Ireland's drink culture. |
Among the issues to be
examined by the advisory group, who will report back
in March, is the effectiveness of existing sanctions
and penalties, particularly those combating
excessive and underage drinking and also how people
who arrive in A&E drunk will be treated in future.
"We have a problem with alcohol abuse seen in binge
drinking in |
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this country. Recent
figures have shown there has been a 17% increase in
alcohol consumption over the past ten years," said
Senator Keaveney.
"It is clear that this problem is also adding to
health problems which encompass both physical and
mental health areas but also public disorder. Our
culture of alcohol abuse needs to be tackled as a
matter of urgency."
In her former role as T.D., Senator Keaveney chaired
an Oireachtas committee on drugs and alcohol.
“The Government shares the growing national concern
about health and public order problems resulting
from binge drinking.
"I congratulate the work that is going on at
community level for example through Serenity House
in Moville who are looking at the alcohol issue and
it is great that the local emphasis is being echoed
at national level," she said.
"I look forward to the continuing debate in the
Seanad on this issue and I look forward to the
advisory group delivering their findings by the end
of March." For more on the Moville Alcohol Project
and Survey,
click here |
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