Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The committee is conscious that, undoubtedly, a lot of work has been put into this issue. We will have hearings, on foot of which there will be recommendations. We have had two sets of hearings today and will have representatives of the the Department before us next week. The committee, obviously, does not have an executive function. It is in place to make recommendations and influence local authorities, the Department of Justice and Equality and, in particular, the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. I hope the report will succeed in doing so, although we are conscious that there are complexities involved in dealing with this issue. As a public representative, I know that there are instances where, if extended hours were applied in a particular place, people might have something to say about it. We have to achieve a framework in which this can occur. Some of it is related to planning and licensing. Once a framework is created, individual decisions can be made on a local or sectorial basis and so forth. We have an objective. It is clear when one steps back from it, that much of the legislation and the structures in place are antiquated and need to be reviewed.

I am grateful to the delegates for attending. It has been a useful session. I hope it has been productive, added to the conversation and helped to influence policy at national and local level.