While the focus of the seizures of alcohol has been around the public order aspects of alcohol misuse, the Minister is also anxious to reinforce the public health message. While concern is expressed as to how the seized alcohol is to be disposed of, we are also concerned as to the health consequences for the people who were going to consume it before it was seized, especially underage young people. We have every reason to be concerned about our alcohol consumption as a population. Each year the average drinker consumes the equivalent of 600 pints of beer, or 150 bottles of wine or 50 bottles of spirits. It is not someone else’s drinking that is the problem – it is a problem for us all. Research has shown that: * Alcohol related hospital admissions increased by 88% (from 9,254 to 17,378) between 1995 and 2004. * Hospital admissions for alcohol related liver diseases increased by 147% in the same period. * Death from alcohol-related diseases has increased from 3.8 per 100,000 adult population in 1995 to 7.1 in 2004.