John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

With my colleagues, I support the Bill and thank Deputy Alan Kelly for introducing it. There was an interesting article in The Irish Timestwo years ago. The business of producing craft beer has since moved on and advanced. The article mentioned Seamus O'Hara and O'Hara's beer. It looked as far back as 1996, when the outlook for the discerning beer drinker, as described in the article, was very bleak. It recalled that Ireland once had a very proud brewing tradition, with dozens of small breweries dotted throughout the country. By all accounts, in 1850 at the end of the Famine there were 95 breweries, but by 1960 that figure had whittled down to eight. Guinness bought up many of those remaining.

My interest in this debate stems from one of the old brewing companies, the Priory brewing company, which was located in Tallaght village and run by the Dominicans. It was not unusual in days gone by for religious orders to run their own brewing companies. What is interesting is that Partas, a local social enterprise group in Tallaght village, as one of its social enterprises, will launch a new Priory brand of beer in the coming months. The Priory microbrewery will be established in the village and take its name from the Dominican Priory in Tallaght village. This speaks particularly to the point made by Deputy Alan Kelly about playing into the narrative of tourism development. This is not just happening in rural Ireland but in urban Ireland also. Areas of south County Dublin have fledgling and developing tourism potential. This is one particular story, which is why I have an interest in speaking about the topic today. I have another interest which I will mention towards the end of my contribution.

The Irish Timesarticle also discussed the results of what my generation had lived with for 30 or 40 years - "a dreary beer landscape dominated by tasteless imported mass market lagers, unlike any in Europe where the culture of small local breweries has survived". As Deputy Mick Wallace outlined, in the two years since the article was written, while it is still the case in Ireland that there is a drab and dreary presentation of mass produced beer and most pubs and off-licences continue to serve and stock only the major brands, there has been a sea-change which is gaining momentum and accelerating.

It is good to have a healthy debate and positive discussion in the Dáil about drink. The debates about it in the House are justifiably and legitimately centred on the abuse of alcohol by sections of society and its consequences. I could be wrong, but I associate craft beers with discerning responsible drinkers who care, think a little and reflect on the beer they want to drink and know a little about it. As Deputy Mick Wallace knows, this is something we would champion if it was about wine drinkers, but when it comes to beer drinkers, the idea that someone could actually have a degree of discernment in selecting the type of beer he or she wishes to drink is not common. It is welcome that we can have a positive discussion in the Chamber about drink and speak about it in a positive and very refreshing way.

The previous speaker spoke about the brewing company O'Hara's. It is one of the more successful brands. I came across a bottle of O'Hara's beer on a visit to Japan many years ago. The craft beer industry in Ireland only took off when our former colleague, Brian Cowen, introduced tax incentives for microbreweries in 2005. His decision gave the industry the incentive it needed to compete in a world dominated by large brewing conglomerates with very deep pockets. I understand that in 2015, 1,800 people were employed in the brewing industry in Ireland, 200 of whom were employed in microbrewing. In 2017 the number involved has increased to almost 500. It is certainly a burgeoning small industry. Year on year, the craft brewing industry is expanding by between 40% and 50%. It accounts for between 1.5% and 2% of the overall beer market. As Deputy Mick Wallace rightly stated, it still has huge potential. There are a number of regulatory changes that would support the further development of the market. Deputy Alan Kelly alluded to this and referred to it as one of the primary reasons for introducing the Bill. Enabling local microbreweries to sell their products to legitimate and bona fide visitors to their premises is one step in promoting this. A total of 479 people are employed in production in microbreweries.

This is a personal contribution rather than one on behalf of Fianna Fáil. I have not been lobbied in any shape, form or manner on any aspect of the Bill, but I ask the Minister of State to examine the ten-to-six deadline. Microbreweries may be happy with this, but from a personal perspective, I wonder whether in rural Ireland, particularly in the summer months, this a little too punishing a schedule for buses and coaches which may arrive at these premises. They may take a tour but, unlike visitors who arrived ten minutes earlier, they may not taste the product. If microbrewery representatives are happy with the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., that is fine, but I seek a justification for having a deadline of 6 p.m. With regard to an aspect mentioned by the Minister of State, to be honest, I cannot see people turning up at microbreweries in their droves posing as visitors to have a pint-----

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