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

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this legislation. I commend the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, on bringing forward the Bill. Many individuals thought that by An Garda Síochána exercising its discretion, we could overcome the problems that have been outlined in this legislation. It is preferable, however, to have certainty in the issue. When a publican or a restaurant is granted a licence to sell alcohol, the permission they are granted is to sell alcohol on their premises. This means that if a pub at the top of Harcourt Street has a licence to sell alcohol there, it does not mean that an individual can buy alcohol there and drink it at the bottom of Harcourt Street. What prohibits this are the by-laws in place in Dublin city that prohibit the drinking of alcohol in public places. The Bill is, therefore highly appropriate. I commend the Minister on bringing certainty to the issue by enacting this legislation here today.

Great measures have been taken by local authorities around the country to ensure hospitality businesses can be conducted outside and the effect of the legislation will be to enable this business to be done legally and lawfully. It means that if a person has a licence to sell alcohol from a public house, then individuals can drink outside that public house on tables and chairs provided that have been licensed by the local authority.

It is now more than three weeks since outdoor hospitality commenced. It has gone extremely well. It has been extremely effective in Dublin. The industry, the local authorities and the Government have replaced disorganised socialising with organised socialising. They need to be commended on the work they have done. One can see it any time when walking through the city. An awful lot of the antisocial behaviour we saw in the city prior to the reopening of hospitality out of doors is now being reduced significantly.

We also need to recognise that the hospitality industry needs to have our support. It is getting support here by the enactment of this legislation. We have not had an opportunity to discuss and debate the issues that arose yesterday in respect of the hospitality industry but I would like to see that process expedited. It is important for the hospitality sector that it is not placed with all of the responsibility for any risk that arises with regard to the pandemic into the future.

I would like to deal with a specific issue raised with me repeatedly by constituents who have sent me emails yesterday and today, which concerns the cancellation or postponement of confirmations and communions. They had already been postponed on a number of occasions. I was speaking with one grandmother today who told me her granddaughter had to have clothes bought again for her since she had grown out of the clothes that had been bought for the previous planned communion. I would ask that the Government could look at this. There must be creative ways by which this matter can be resolved in order that we can facilitate such communions and confirmations. We are all aware of what we are told is the risk in respect of statistics and modelling by NPHET but it is the responsibility of the Government to come up with solutions for issues such as this. These are very important social development issues for people in our society and we must be seen to try to facilitate them

I commend the Minister on the Bill. It will bring great clarity to the area of the sale of licensed alcohol in the near future.

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