Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am anxious to move on to the votes on the affordable housing Bill so I will keep my comments to welcoming the amendments, which are positive. I might forward the Minister a copy of the Dublin City Council cafés and restaurants working group report from 2015, which looked at this area long before Covid. It examined the positive impacts of the passive policing elements of having street furniture and so on.

One issue the Minister might look at between now and the end of the year when these amendments will lapse is fully devolving this responsibility to local authorities. A Minister should not be setting the fees for tables and chairs in each local authority. That is a power we could give to local authorities to allow them to be more nimble. In places like Glasnevin, where we want to encourage the use of tables and chairs and where we do not have the same demand, we could have a different policy than we might have on Grafton Street or O'Connell Street. This is an area where we could enhance local government over time if the right consideration is given to it. I will be happy to forward the Minister that report.