It is time to for young people to start behaving as if they were adults and take responsibility for their own behaviour, the Dáil has been told in the ongoing row over teenage drinking and "thuggery" on St Patrick's day.

In a staunch defence of the Government's approach to the issue, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, said "it is about time we had some straight talking".

As the Opposition claimed Government incompetence was responsible for the level of public disorder on the day, the Minister said "the truth of the matter is that we can only put in so much legislation.

"We have done that. The Gardaí can be asked to do so much, and we have done that. It is time for certain people to start behaving as if they were adults," he said.

Mr O'Donoghue, who marched in the London parade, said there was no trouble whatsoever there, and it was "disconcerting to return home to find this kind of thuggish behaviour occurs here."

He said it was "obviously a cause of great concern and a cause of embarrassment" and he would ask the St Patrick's festival committee to see whether improvements could be made.

Mr Paul Gogarty (GP, Dublin Mid-West) said the issue had nothing to do with the good work of the festival committee but Government "incompetence".

Mr Damien English (FG, Meath) said this behaviour "happens all over the country at many festivals" and part of the solution was to give young people a choice of other things to do. But the minister said there were "plenty of places where fellows can kick a ball around if they wish, rather than running around the street half drunk".