Chairman:We move on to our discussion on the report entitled Beverage Exports 2000-2011 with the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland. I welcome Mr. Kieran Tobin, chairman of the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland, Mr. Peter O'Brien, Diageo corporate relations director for Ireland and western Europe, and Mr. Anthony Foley, senior economist at Dublin City University business school.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that members should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable. By virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of the evidence you are to give this committee. If you are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence in relation to a particular matter and you continue to so do, you are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of your evidence. You are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and you are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, you should not criticise nor make charges against any person(s) or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. I invite Mr. Tobin to make his presentation. 

Mr. Kieran Tobin:I thank the Chairman and the members of the joint committee for the opportunity to address the committee on the topic of the drinks industry report. I am the chairman of the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland, Mr. Peter O'Brien is the corporate relations director for Diageo and Mr. Anthony Foley is the author of the report.

Membership of Drinks Industry Group of Ireland spans manufacturers such as Diageo, C&C, Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, and Heineken; distributors and importers; and the retail sectors of the industry, both the on-trade, such as pubs, restaurants, hotels, and nightclubs, and the independent off-licence sector. Mr. Donall O'Keeffe, our secretary and the chief executive of the Licensed Vintners Association, is in the Visitors Gallery.

Together, our members support over 62,000 jobs dispersed through every town and village in the country. These jobs range from the barman in the local pub to the factory worker on a bottling line to the tourist centre guide to the marketing manager for many of our major international brands. We also make a major contribution to the overall economy……

[For full debate click on this link to the Oireachtas website]