David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies for their contributions and for their broad support for this Bill. The passing of all Stages today will ensure that the legislation will be in place in advance of the busy Easter period, and this is why it has been brought forward. Deputy O'Callaghan and others made reference to the Government's Public Health (Alcohol) Bill, which passed all Stages in the Seanad last December and which is expected to come before the Dáil for consideration in early February.

The Bill before us is simple and short. It began its journey as a Private Members' Bill in the Seanad. I recognise the presence in the Chamber of some Senators, including Senator Lawless who was responsible for initiating it. While the Government did not oppose the intent behind the Bill, it believed that amendments would be required to ensure legislation governing the sale of alcohol on Good Friday would be comprehensive and would apply to all outlets which supply or sell alcohol. The Bill before the House includes a number of amendments which were passed by the Seanad in the course of its deliberations. The effect of these amendments would be to remove the current restrictions on the sale of intoxicating liquor on Good Friday. These restrictions are, in my view, unsuited to our modern society and the updating of licensing law in this area will further assist our tourism sector.

Deputy O'Sullivan referred to Senator Black's sterling work in combating excessive alcohol use and abuse.

I note that in the Seanad she said she:

Supports the legislation because in recent years Good Friday has been marred by excessive drinking in homes throughout the country. The panic buying of alcohol in the days beforehand is a sad reflection of our culture. Excessive drinking in homes where young people are present sends out the wrong message.

Senator Black also said that she welcomed any measures that would help reduce the harm that alcohol does to the health of our people, and was delighted that Senator Lawless supported the idea of the pub being a regulated environment.

The Bill removes the restrictions on the sale or supply of intoxicating liquor and has been drafted to ensure that the removal of the restriction applies not only to public houses and off-licences but also to hotels, holiday camps, registered clubs and restaurants. In this way the Bill will provide for the comprehensive and consistent application of licensing laws on Good Friday.

I was quite taken with Deputy O'Callaghan's reference to wine in teapots. That is a new one for me. It goes to show what was happening and the extent that people went to when they were told they could not have something. People went off to get what they could not have while it was prohibited.

The Government believes the time is right to end the restrictions on the sale of intoxicating liquor on Good Friday. We live in a very different society than that which existed when the restrictions were put in place. The Bill amends the rules to allow for the sale and supply of intoxicating liquor on Good Friday in a consistent, non-discriminatory and comprehensive manner. I thank everybody who spoke on the Bill and supported it. I note that Father Matthew, born in 1790, enrolled 3 million people in 1844 into his Cork Total Abstinence Society, even though he was born in Golden, County Tipperary. Even then he ran into trouble with the anti-slavery movement in the United States. Alcohol was a big problem even then. It is a cultural issue, as has been said, but the other Bill will be before us shortly and we can work on that then.

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