Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has said he has never condoned or encouraged drink-driving, after it emerged that he once said in an interview that he would be able to have "a fair few pints" and still be able to drive.
In an interview with Hot Press magazine in June 1986, Mr Ahern, then an opposition TD, was asked how many pints he believed he could drink and still be able to drive. "I could certainly drink a fair few pints of Bass and be capable of driving," he told the interviewer. "Whether I'd pass the breathalyser or not is another thing, it would be very hard to get me drunk on it."
Yesterday a spokeswoman for Mr Ahern said he had "consistently stated that driving under the influence is not acceptable and should not be tolerated".
"Thankfully attitudes in relation to drink-driving has become more well informed and responsible in the last 20 years. This is to be welcomed and encouraged. The Taoiseach has never and would never condone or encourage drink-driving in any circumstances."
In the 1986 interview Mr Ahern also said he was more worried about being stopped and checked for drink-driving if he had recently been critical of gardaí.
"For a week after, you're kind of careful how many pints or glasses you drink. It crosses your mind, yeah. Because when you get very senior guards appearing on your doorstep it's really intimidating, knowing they have come back to me several times."
At the time Mr Ahern had been supporting local groups relating to issues surrounding policing and drug use. The clarification came as a group of TDs and Senators said that enforcement on speeding and drink-driving needed to be improved greatly in the State if the high rate of road deaths was to be tackled.
The group, including Fianna Fáil TD and chairman of the Oireachtas Committee John Ellis, had been on a nine-day trip to Australia to visit states, including Victoria, which have the lowest levels of road deaths.
Mr Ellis said the key lesson was that enforcement of drink-driving and speeding legislation had to be continuous and effective. Every driver is likely to be subject to a random breath test at least once a year in the state of Victoria. He said experience also indicated that fixed-point speeding cameras were not effective and that other systems such as checking speeds over a longer distance were more effective.
Fine Gael transport spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell, who was also on the trip, said Irish authorities had to implement the current measures, such as random breath tests and increased speed checks.
She said authorities should also be looking for the "next silver bullet" to establish other measures that might reduce deaths.