Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in this morning and the important information they have shared with us. It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that Ms Farrelly from my area is here. I thank her for being here and for all of the work she and her team have done throughout Covid-19. I have written to her about this as well. It has been outstanding. Notwithstanding the challenges faced at every turn, the staff of Fingal County Council have been first-class in terms of the service provision, etc. I would be grateful if Ms Farrelly would pass that on to the staff.

We cannot ignore the elephant in the room which is the recent issue raised by members of An Garda Síochána, some members of local authorities and myself last night on the floor of the Dáil, with regard to consumption of alcohol outdoors. I do not believe any person in government, when he or she said we would have an outdoor summer, meant we would solely and only be consuming alcohol outdoors, but I also do not believe any person who said it could be ignorant of the fact consumption of alcohol will form part of the summer outdoors for some people.

I will be straight with Ms Farrelly. It does not seem sufficient preparation was put in place. I say that because last night, when I was on my feet in the Dáil Chamber, the Minister of State read out a script on behalf of the Minister for Justice that was contradicted by a statement issued previously to the media. The Minister for Justice has now indicated she will be drafting primary legislation to ensure people can stay within the confines of the rules and use the outdoor seating, whether that be for eating or consumption of alcohol.

That is regrettable. It sends a poor message to businesses that are struggling. Many of them in my area are counting the days until indoor dining reopens. In the meantime, all they have is takeaway and outdoor dining and this has thrown a spanner in the works. If you talk to local businesses, which I know Ms Farrelly does, they will tell you this is the last thing they need. If you talk to the workers who are working in these local businesses, they will tell you that uncertainty over their employment is the last thing they need.

My questions are fairly simple. Can Ms Farrelly say, with confidence, to those businesses that are operating outdoor seating for eating, drinking or both that they can continue?

Does she believe the primary legislation is necessary? Can she detail what consultation took place because for my part, it does not seem like there was sufficient consultation? If there had been, these issues would not have arisen. What level of consultation was there with the Government in establishing what the legal position was locally? That does not seem to have been done and it seems to be different from area to area. It is really disappointing.

Can Ms Farrelly provide her views on the primary legislation and on the level of consultation? If I were to have a pint next Friday in one of the many parklets provided by Fingal County Council outside one of the many lovely establishments in Skerries, where I live, would I be within the confines of the law? Does she think the primary legislation is necessary or does she believe businesses can continue to trade? Advising members of the Garda to use their discretion is not a good policy. The Garda does not want to do that as it puts its members in a poor position. Business owners and workers are concerned that it puts them in an unstable and precarious position.