Galway Bay fm newsroom - The alleged hypocrisy of street-drinking in Galway City has been raised in the Dáil during a debate on the proposed Public Health Alcohol Bill.
Deputy Catherine Connolly says while she welcomes elements of the bill, it does little to address the root cause of Irish drinking habits.
The bill aims to reduce alcohol consumption in Ireland to 9.1 litres per person per year by 2020 and to reduce the harms associated with alcohol.
This will be achieved through measures including minimum pricing, health labelling and the regulation of advertising.
Deputy Connolly told the chamber that there is a large level of hypocrisy in how we talk about alcohol, but fail to treat the reasons we drink in the first place.
The Independent Deputy said she does not expect the Government's proposed legislation to be a magic catch-all - but more effort is needed.
Deputy Connolly pointed to street-drinking in Galway City as a contradiction that sets a poor example.
Deputy Connolly says if we're serious about tackling our drinking habits, a different approach is needed.
