Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

This is rushed legislation, obviously, because the issue and the solution only emerged in the last week or so. Someone has probably sat up half the night, probably for a couple of nights, drafting this Bill. There is no way we can anticipate everything that may be wrong and definitions are required. However, some valid issues have been raised regarding what is intended and these must be tightened up.

The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, said earlier that it is not intended to permit a bar in the outdoor area to serve take-away drinks. Will she clarify if that means people can still go inside the premises and buy take-away drinks or does this provision exclude that in its totality? I am not at all clear about that. I can understand not having a bar outside but the wording is not clear. This has been going on for months and sometimes it is a lifeline for certain establishments.

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