Arising out of the Minister's reply and a recent television interview which he gave in relation to alcoholism, does he distinguish between the effects of spirits and beers?

If so what action does he propose to take in the matter?

I do distinguish between spirits and beer. With regard to that interview which I gave on television at the end of a programme on the drink industry, what I said on that occasion was severely edited by the RTE Authority, unfortunately.

I endeavoured to give what I thought was a balanced view of the problem of excessive drinking and alcoholism, which are two separate things. Unfortunately a lot of what I said on one side was edited out of my interview.

Can I take it that the Minister's Department agree that spirits are a much bigger contribution to alcoholism than beers are?

This is a difficult technical medical question.

Is the Minister speaking as Minister or as an expert?

I am giving advice as Minister. In this whole area, whether it be beer or spirits, moderation is the answer and proper control of one's habits.