Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for not accepting the amendment. I did say that it would hurt people in rural areas more because in a rural parish or village there are perhaps only four or five businesses that can be approached for sponsorship. There may be one shop, one pub and perhaps a couple of other people that a club can approach so the proposed amendment would have affected rural areas in a more adverse way.

More goes on in a pub than the consumption of alcohol. People go to pubs for different reasons. One of them is that it is a place to meet because there are not too many places in a rural area where people can meet to have a cup of tea.

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