Mr. James Finan:

I thank the committee for the invitation. We look forward to working with members of the committee this afternoon. Earlier this year, the Minister, Deputy Madigan, convened an engaging forum for stakeholders and we are encouraged to be this far in the process. There are more than 200,000 hospitality jobs in Ireland and the industry is worth an estimated €9 billion to the economy each year. This is especially the case in the west of Ireland where culture and tourism are often the main sources of income for many communities. There is no harm in saying that this is a challenge at which we excel. The Wild Atlantic Way has become an important initiative and local people have been the engine behind this success. Small businesses, arts companies, community groups and workers have helped to drive the west as a destination for food, culture, heritage and a unique experience. People can enjoy art, music, and drama to a standard on par with anywhere else in Europe.

However, challenges remain. There is great concern about Brexit and any outcome that would place the Irish economy at a disadvantage. The Government works hard to ensure that sectors such as agriculture or finance can do their business on a level playing field with counterparts elsewhere. Our cultural and night-time industries have been struggling with one hand behind their back.

In an age of budget travel we are competing with cities and events on the Continent that operate in much more favourable conditions. Irish nights out are world-famous, but it is often more attractive to residents of Ireland to leave the country for the weekend. Thousands of euro go abroad each week because as Ireland closes its doors at night Europe carries on doing business.

People's habits and lifestyle and the country in which we live have changed dramatically. The hours people work and how they socialise have changed. There are more options than ever but all this is happening against the backdrop of laws from the 1930s such as the dance halls Act, dating from a time when Ireland was a very different place.

At the workshop the Minister organised earlier this year there was a policy suggestion to map venues in curating events of cultural significance. Giving such venues an opportunity to promote musicians and artists for extended hours during festival periods such as the Galway International Arts Festival would be extremely beneficial to the local economy and the cultural life of the town or city. This is of particular significance as Galway city and county will host the European Capital of Culture in 2020.

The prohibitive costs of the special exemption process are one of the primary reasons venues are closing their doors around the country. What can cost over €125,000 in fees for late licences here costs just over £1,000 in the UK. Even with these exemptions Ireland has one of the earliest curfews in all of Europe. To keep trading with such high costs we have evolved into a multipurpose event space. We have opened our doors to the Galway Jazz Festival, the Cúirt literature festival, Galway Theatre Festival, TULCA Festival of Visual Arts and the Above the Fold design festival and have become a temporary home for Theatre57, a collective of 90 independent theatre artists making work in Galway city and county. In the current licensing legislation, however, there is no clear distinction between a bar and a venue. A bar can apply for the same exemption order and trade for the same hours. When the extra costs and higher risks associated with promoting an event are added, it is understandable why many venues around the country have closed.

Without these performance spaces, artists have no avenue, and we are all poorer for it. A one-size-fits-all approach has not served us. Previous Ministers have spoken of their intention to modernise the laws and streamline the licensing process, but reform has stalled on a number of occasions. In this respect we welcome the development of Ireland's first nighttime cultural policy.