Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all of the witnesses for being here this afternoon and sharing their thoughts on this very important topic. Like others, I worked in this space a number of years ago and saw at first hand the effects of the overconsumption of alcohol and the wreckage and carnage associated with it.

I would contend that there is not a family in the country that has not been affected in some shape or form by the overconsumption of alcohol. That said, I am heartened by the professor's comments when he says that he feels we have been on a journey in relation to the overconsumption of alcohol for quite some time but the message is beginning to filter through. I am heartened by that but as he said, and I would concur, we have a long way to go in terms of developing a mature relationship with alcohol. I am speaking here as someone who enjoys a beer occasionally but unfortunately we have a way to go with regard to our relationship with alcohol.

This legislation, which deals with extending the night-time economy, would appear to be positive in some aspects but unfortunately, the centre or nucleus of that seems to be surrounded by alcohol and that is where our problems arise. Having listened to the various opening statements this afternoon, it appears that some parts of this legislation are putting the cart before the horse. We have a difficult situation at the minute from a staffing perspective. The gentleman from Mandate outlined the situation earlier with regard to staff working in the night-time economy, in our bars and nightclubs. The story that I am hearing from that sector and many other sectors is that there is a difficulty in getting staff. The Chairman mentioned that Covid-19 changed an awful lot in that regard but what has happened as a result of Covid? Why is it more difficult to get staff to work in these sectors now? I am not just talking about the bar and nightclub sectors but more generally. What is going on? Why are those vacancies so difficult to fill now, post-Covid? I would welcome an assessment of that particular issue from the Mandate representative.

There was talk earlier about some places in Europe, including Amsterdam for example, which have seen adverse results from travelling down the road we are contemplating now. Have we any data on what they are doing in those locations to address the issues that have arisen? Have we any learnings in that regard? I come from rural Ireland myself and from a practical point of view, I see pubs closing down almost on a monthly basis and the lack of transport is a key issue for local publicans in places like Monaghan, where I live. Publicans are telling us that the pubs are dying for a wide variety of reasons. People are not going to the pub anymore and one of the issues is the lack of public transport for people in rural Ireland. If we have difficulties addressing that particular issue in our larger towns and cities, I do not know where we are going in relation to rural Ireland. I am wondering what is the plan, or if there is any, in that regard.

To go back to the point I made earlier, one thing I have learned from the second sitting we had on this topic is that the more we delve into it, the more we highlight different potential problems associated with it, and that is before we even get beyond the starting block. It would appear that there is a lot of work to be done. We are out of kilter with regard to the night time economy, particularly in our larger towns and cities, for those who want to boogie on down until the early hours, and good luck to them. They are not able to do that in this country and that is certainly something that needs to be looked at. Perhaps there is a real appetite for that, and I would bow to Senator Warfield and others who are closer to this issue than I am. In rural areas, however, that appetite does not exist, from my experience.

I have found this engagement very useful. Having dipped our toe into this area, we have highlighted, perhaps accidentally, all of the issues that are out there surrounding this. I am wondering, as Senator Martin outlined earlier, whether there is any potential to move forward with this or whether we have so many other things to fix before we get that far. I would welcome any comments from our guests on my remarks.