It is now almost a year and a half since the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill started its passage through the Oireachtas. It has been moving at a snail's pace. In that period, there have been 1,600 alcohol-related deaths. Approximately 800,000 bed-nights have been taken up in hospitals as a result of alcohol-related illnesses, and there have been 420,000 absenteeism days as a result of alcohol abuse. That is imposing a huge human and economic cost on the entire country. The Taoiseach said recently that the completion of this Bill would be a priority. Will he tell us what his proposed timescale is for the completion of this long-awaited legislation? What is the target date for its implementation?

This is legislation that I support strongly. I published it myself as Minister for Health and introduced it into the Seanad just over a year ago. I met with the Minister, Deputy Simon Harris, about it and other matters just last week. The Government is very keen to have this legislation enacted. It is not going to be possible to have it done before the recess, but it is intended to have it enacted through both the Dáil and Seanad in the next session.