Dáil debates

Thursday, 25 January 2018

Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017 [Seanad]: Second and Subsequent Stages

 

1:50 pm

Photo of Jim O'CallaghanJim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak to this Bill, which Fianna Fáil will support. I commend the Independent Senators who initiated this legislation, particularly Senator Lawless, who the Minister of State mentioned was instrumental in it being put before the Seanad. It is important to recall that the law in this area was set down in 1927 and the Intoxicating Liquor Act of that year prohibited the sale of alcohol on three days, which were Christmas Day, St. Patrick's Day and Good Friday. In 1960, we got rid of the prohibition on the sale of alcohol on St. Patrick's Day.

The reason for that was that it was recognised as a national holiday. With tourists coming to the country and wanting to enjoy themselves, it was regarded as anachronistic to have a ban on selling alcohol on St. Patrick's Day. For many years, people have been trying to get around the prohibition on the sale of alcohol on Good Friday. Sometimes people would go to the dog show where they could buy alcohol or get a drink on Good Friday. On other occasions, people would take the train because if one had an inter-county ticket, one could buy alcohol. We are also aware of examples of people going to restaurants and having the wine put in teapots and so forth. That undermined the law and, as a result, it is sensible to change the law and remove the prohibition.

The prohibition relating to Good Friday was introduced for the same reason as the prohibition on the sale of alcohol on Christmas Day and St. Patrick's Day. It was seen as a sign of religious respect that the State would not permit the sale of alcohol on those days. In many respects, it was an anti-republican measure because this is not a State purely for those of the Christian faith or the Catholic religion. It is also important to recognise that religious people are still entitled to respect and honour religious days of importance to them. There is nothing mandatory about this provision. It simply acknowledges that people who wish to buy a drink, who may not be religious or who are religious but do not believe that they should abstain from alcohol on Good Friday, will be permitted to do so. In recent years, strange situations have arisen. There have been major sporting events which have been held on Good Friday and people attending those events were not able to buy alcohol. That was seen as unusual. Sometimes steps were taken to provide for an exemption for particular events. This proposal is much more sensible - simply abolish the prohibition on the sale of alcohol on Good Friday. People who wish to be religiously observant can do that in accordance with their views.

The prohibition has had a negative impact on the tourism industry in Ireland. Many people come to Ireland over the Easter period and it comes as a surprise to them on Good Friday that they cannot get a drink in a restaurant or that they cannot go to an Irish bar, which is an important part of the tourism product in this country. It is also instructive to note that perhaps the busiest day of the year for off-licences is Holy Thursday. The reason is that people are aware that alcohol will not be available on Good Friday.

Although I welcome the Bill and believe it is an important measure which we should pass, I should not let miss the opportunity of referring to the fact that there is a major problem with alcohol and alcoholism in this country. While I welcome the fact that this legislation has got to the House so quickly, I should mention that we must promote other legislation which deals with the problems caused by alcohol. I refer in particular to the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, which still has not come before this House. It is important that the Government prioritises that Bill. Most people use alcohol in a moderate way. They enjoy alcohol at social events. It provides people with entertainment and reduces inhibitions. It has a general social impact on people when they meet. That occurs in the majority of cases. However, a significant minority of people in this country struggle with alcohol and with alcoholism. We must do something for those people. We must recognise that many people are badly damaged by alcohol and do something to reduce that. It is a major public health issue.

The Government must bring forward the legislation to which I refer sooner rather than later so we, as legislators, can try to deal with this enormous social problem. It is not going away and it has had very negative consequences in Irish society for many years. We need to have a mature conversation about the impact of alcohol on Irish society and what steps legislators can take to try to resolve some of those problems. However, Fianna Fáil will support the Bill before the House.

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