Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that.

I have a question about nightlife, on which a meeting was held recently with stakeholders. We are losing venues and places in which to dance and socialise. They are culturally significant, not just drinking factories such as those on Harcourt Street. They contribute to the culture of the city and we are losing them. They are being strangled by the licensing laws. Workers in this sphere pay most of their money to get taxis home because there is no public transport available. We spoke about how the Department interacted with all other Departments. Twenty-four hour transport services are one issue, while the licensing laws at night and the Department of Justice and Equality are another. This is probably an area in which relationships and collaborations are forged and artists make money, but the culture of the city has been hollowed out by hotels and tourism interests. It would not require a huge amount of money from the Government to reform the licensing laws to make it more rewarding for artists, creative people, promoters and musicians who make their money during these hours and do not necessarily need a grant. There is a living to be made and basically we are holding people back. I welcome the moves being made in that regard. It is something about which I have been talking for a while in the Seanad.

Will there be a report? If so, can we expect it soon? Will it include recommendations from across Departments for those Departments?