Mr. Sunil Sharpe:

I will just address what Deputy Smyth said. She made a great point about hotels. We talk a lot about protecting, retaining and hopefully growing the traditional pub. The nightclub is a modern creation but, if we are to talk about the tradition, it has been within hotels. Even the most well-known nightclubs that are still around, particularly in Dublin, are within hotels. What I have seen develop, particularly over the past five years, can be summed up in the phrase "eat, drink and play" changing to "eat, drink and stay". Many places that had entertainment spaces are now building rooms instead. The entertainment space is lost or turned into a gym. We definitely need to give that option to existing businesses. Getting our hands on space and getting planning approval to actually open one of these venues is particularly difficult. One operator we know in town has been waiting for longer than a year to open his premises for one reason or another, although that relates to another discussion regarding fire and safety requirements, which can sometimes present difficulties in opening places. On access to spaces, there are a lot of ready-made spaces and we believe that this permit could facilitate more activity. Perhaps we can revisit that tradition and, I hope, see more entertainment spaces.