The ambition of the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, to take a much tougher attitude towards publicans who serve drink to their customers until they are obviously intoxicated is to be applauded. We have a serious, and growing, drink problem in this State which manifests itself in late-night street violence, a growing number of homicides, and unacceptably high levels of drunk driving.
Those who deliberately contribute to such anti-social behaviour for monetary gain should be held responsible before the law. Mr McDowell has suggested that publicans who facilitate drunkenness should have their premises closed down for up to a month at a time. The law, as it stands, does not provide for the closure of premises where drunkenness is permitted. Instead, objections may be made to the annual renewal of licences in the District Court. The proposed penalty would be more severe than a provision that allows for a seven-day closure where drink is served to under-age persons. But perhaps that punishment should also be reviewed.
Mr McDowell spoke of joining with the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, in banning promotional activity related to alcohol so as to put an end to 'happy hour' drinking and other advertising mechanisms. Such measures are likely to be fiercely resisted by publicans, in much the same way as they opposed a reduction in the blood alcohol limit for drivers and the banning of cigarette smoking on their premises. In the past, governments have been extremely reluctant to confront this powerful political lobby.
The head of the Garda National Traffic Policy Bureau, Chief Supt Denis Fitzpatrick, confirmed last week that no real change has taken place in the public attitude towards drunk driving. Some 95 per cent of the 1,261 motorists arrested in the five weeks leading up to the New Year were over the legal limit, he said, and the number was roughly the same as in 2001. He blamed a shortage of resources for the situation and said it was fair to suspect that a huge number of intoxicated drivers were not being caught.
This is an appalling admission of policy failure. On the basis of those figures, only 36 arrests were made per day in all 26 counties during a peak enforcement period. Was the resource shortage related to manpower or to breathalyser kits?
The Minister for Justice has accepted the need for "a clear rethink" of drunk driving laws. There is certainly plenty to think about in relation to those figures.