Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

One of the few legacies of Covid that would perhaps be regarded as positive was the improvement in our outdoor hospitality arrangements and services. We have seen it in towns and villages, including in the likes of Swords of Malahide in my area, in recent years and they have bedded down and become fixtures. This has improved streetscapes and, particularly during the summer months, it has been quite good.

We are rolling over this legislation and I understand from the Minister of State's opening statement that the general scheme for the sale of alcohol Bill will regularise all of this. However, when you read about what we are rolling over, it seems so out of date and so past it that we hope this is the last time this will be brought before us for this purpose because it is just not good practice. We look forward to engaging in the Committee on Justice, along with our spokesperson on justice, Deputy Ó Ríordáin, on the general scheme for the sale of alcohol Bill in the hope we will not see this particular Bill, such as it is written, being brought before us again.

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