Alcohol policy: Labour is to propose a tax on the drinks industry in a policy document on curbing alcohol abuse, the party's spokesman on justice, Mr Joe Costello, announced.
Responding to motions from the Milltown and Swords branches in Dublin, Mr Costello said the thrust of the document, to be published shortly, would be to seek to replace the traditional Irish culture of tolerance of excessive consumption of alcohol with a new culture of responsibility.
"The tax will fund a range of programmes and activities to counter the harmful effects of alcohol abuse on society," he added.
"It will also include a ban on all advertising that targets young people and that falsely links drink with healthy sporting activities."
He said the document, titled "Alcohol use and abuse: a new culture of responsibility", would focus on the enforcement of the law governing the sale of alcohol to minors.
"If the law on underage drinking can be enforced effectively in Co Mayo, it can be enforced effectively in every county in Ireland," he added.
The conference passed motions calling for a rejection of the "old, meaningless mantra of zero tolerance which has passed for a lame excuse as a policy on crime".
The motions demanded that the Garda develop new structures to bring the force more into tune with the community it serves.
Mr Costello said that a new kind of policing was required. "To be effective, policing must be community-based," he said.
"Without the support and involvement of the community, policing will fall short. The present lip-service paid to community policing by the Garda and the Department of Justice makes that sector the Cinderella of the system."
He said local authorities could play a significant role in facilitating the process to bring the Garda closer to the communities it serves and make it more directly accountable.
He repeated the party's commitment to the establishment of a Garda Ombudsman.
"I believe that the best deterrent of all against crime is the identifiable, uniformed garda on the beat in the street who has the confidence of his or her community," said Mr Costello.
He said that, in government, Labour would end the "blatant abuse of taxpayers' money" whereby by Fianna Fáil supporters "from far-flung corners of Ireland" were appointed to the visiting committees in the Mountjoy Prison complex.
Members of prison visiting committees should be appointed to the prison nearest their homes, he said.
He said the Government and its predecessor would have doubled the prison population by the end of this year, from approximately 2,000 to 4,000, giving Ireland a prison population three times that of England and Wales, four times that of Norway and seven times that of Sweden.
"Logic would suggest that doubling the number of prisoners would at least reduce the level of crime," he added.
"Not at all. Last year, Ireland experienced the highest level of crime in the history of the State. At the same time, it had the highest level of custodial detentions. "Moreover, the recidivist rate was a whopping 70 per cent," he said.