91. Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the membership of the working group on alcohol referred to in Question No. 268 of 31 January 2006; and the way in which this group differs from the strategic task force on alcohol. [6098/06]

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Mr. S. Power): The working group on alcohol was established under the special initiative on tackling alcohol and drug misuse in Sustaining Progress to help mobilise the stakeholders through social partnership to achieve a targeted and measurable reduction in alcohol misuse. Its members included representatives from the Health Service Executive, the Garda, IBEC, ICTU, the community and voluntary pillar, Macra na Feirme, the national drugs strategy team, National Youth Council of Ireland, Children’s Rights Alliance and the Departments of the Taoiseach, Transport, Education and Science, Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and Health and Children. It was chaired by Mr. Peter Cassells. While the remit of the strategic task force on alcohol was to broadly review the international research and to revert to Government with a set of recommendations aimed at reducing alcohol related harm across all harm indicators, the members of the working group on alcohol, established under Sustaining Progress, were asked to examine the areas of high risk drinking, underage drinking and drink driving and to identify actions which their organisations could adopt to address these issues with a view to developing a programme of action. The group’s recommendations were put before the steering committee on the special initiative on alcohol and drug misuse in late 2005.