Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

I hope the Minister will accept these amendments or a version thereof. He has not had the time or opportunity to reflect on the implications of not doing so. I carry no can for the nightclub industry; I have no shares in it and I am past the stage of visiting those establishments. However, the prospect of disgorging the patrons of the nightclubs of this city onto the streets at the same time is positively to invite public disorder. For many years, the entertainment industry was unable to function satisfactorily because of the absence of public transport. Since deregulation, the availability of taxis has immensely improved. The staggered hours we enjoy between the closing times of pubs, establishments with theatre licence and nightclubs means public transport providers are able to cope with the demands on their services.

In addition, this proposal will impose inordinate strain on other public services. We in this House seem to believe we have done enough in simply passing a law. However, a problem with many of the laws we pass is that they are not enforced. In this case, unless it is enforced, it is valueless. Public services in Dublin city, whether the Garda Síochána, the ambulance service and so on, will be unable to cope with a fixed closing time. It is unworkable. There is a certain naivete behind the Minister's efforts. This is not to impugn his motives in any way. I share his goals. However, in a capital city, one of the leading cities of the European Union, the notion that we can regulate the entertainment industry in the fashion proposed is naive.

No figures were produced in the Dr. Gordon Holmes report or elsewhere as to the contribution made to the problems of public disorder and binge drinking by the activities of the nightclub industry. I am sure it is not a significant contribution. When I say there is a certain naivete informing the legislation, I mean that the phenomenon of binge drinking, youth abuse of alcohol and consequent public disorder is complex and that some of the measures in this Bill miss the target. The Minister accepted as much when he promised to excise the sections relating to early morning opening. I do not know what the Minister's household is like but I never encountered a teenager in my home heading to an early morning pub at 7 a.m., unless it was on the way home. Most teenagers are more likely to surface at midday than to be ready to go to an early house at 7 a.m. I am confused as to the supposed connection between early houses and the phenomenon we are seeking to combat, which is binge drinking and youth public disorder.

If the patrons of the nightclubs of this city and other towns and cities throughout the State are disgorged onto the sidewalks at the same time, when public transport cannot be accessed and where they end up congregating outside takeaway joints, we will simply be inviting an increase in public disorder. In a society where adult entertainment is part and parcel of the way people live, we should consider whether it is reasonable to seek to regulate it to the extent proposed in the Bill.

Given that the Minister's goals in this legislation are undoubtedly admirable, it is a great pity that we will not get a chance to work through all the amendments. For example, the changes he proposes in regard to theatre licences will cause great hardship and difficulty. The problem is not that people attending a performance have an opportunity to discuss it afterwards over a drink but rather the abuse of this existing provision. This is in addition to the punitive system of tariffs introduced by the Minister. My amendment No. 15 is also designed to facilitate staggered closing hours. I am convinced that we will regret the implementation of measures which see a return to the bad old days in this city where people staggered out of nightclubs, pubs and theatres and could not hail a taxi in typical Irish weather. That is not a recipe for improving the current situation.

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