Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When the Act of 2021 was first introduced and areas were pedestrianised, there was a lack of consultation with disabled people and disabled persons' organisations. Some areas were pedestrianised and disabled parking spaces were moved without prior consultation, often to areas that were not very suitable. Outdoor areas for dining and the consumption of alcohol were put in place and while that was welcome and necessary at the time, people with mobility issues or visual impairments were not considered and their rights were affected. This should be considered on an ongoing basis. If something like this is to happen, everybody's rights should be taken into account.

Sinn Féin supports the measures in the motion because, broadly speaking, they have worked well. The ability of businesses to diversify through serving drinks outdoors has proved important and while it has not saved the pub and hospitality sector more generally, overall it has been positive.

We have some concerns, the first of which relates to the legal certainty required around these measures. The Government has confirmed, and the Minister of State echoed this in his speech, that provisions related to outdoor seating will form part of the forthcoming intoxicating liquor Bill 2024. I will comment on the splitting of the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2022, a large Bill that has already undergone pre-legislative scrutiny. The Bill must strike a balance between the economic contribution made by the night-time economy and the hospitality sector more generally versus the health, workers' rights and public safety concerns many have. The outdoor seating provisions being paired with opening hours, annual late bar and nightclub permits and other measures makes sense and I hope we will see more details on this soon. I assume they will be similar to what was presented during pre-legislative scrutiny but I ask the Minister of State to let us know more about what the Bill contains and whether the provisions on outdoor seating will be different from what we are discussing.

I wish to discuss in further detail the concerns I mentioned, beginning with the business supports for the sector which were a feature during the pandemic. The outrageous costs we now see, which businesses and workers struggle with, have necessitated further supports but more can be done. We have called for the Government to engage with industry to design a bespoke but time-limited support for those sectors most impacted by public policy interventions and other additional costs.

The hospitality sector is self-evidently very much one of these sectors. The reopening of the increased cost of business grant for applications is welcome but we need clarity and swift delivery. It is not surprising businesses were confused and that less than 50% of qualifying businesses had applied for the grant before it closed on 30 April. This led to the scheme reopening. My colleague, Teachta Louise O'Reilly, has received data that demonstrates many businesses have either not had their applications processed or received their money. Nationally, only 17% of businesses have had their applications approved to date and only 10.7% have had grant money paid to them.

I also note the hospitality sector, along with retail, made up 40% of the total number of insolvencies in quarter 1 of 2024. Jobs are disappearing, especially in rural areas such as Cavan and Monaghan. This badly affects workers who have already seen so many issues within the hospitality sector. Their hours are long, pay can be meagre and abuse and exploitation run rife. We need to see better protections accompany any expansion of capacity for the sector.

Similarly, the public order and public health aspects of the hospitality sector need to be properly evaluated before any changes are made to the provisions of the Sale of Alcohol Bill. It is telling that the Minister for Health sounded the alarm about the Bill, writing to the Minister for Justice to ask what risk assessments on its provisions had been completed. My colleague, Teachta Thomas Gould, in his capacity as Sinn Féin's spokesperson for recovery and addiction, previously wrote to the Minister for Justice asking for the same assessments to be done. This, presumably, includes the splitting of the Bill and no measures should be introduced without an assessment of the implications for gardaí and healthcare staff as well as local communities.

Sinn Féin does not oppose this Bill, for the aforementioned reasons. However, we would welcome a debate on the permanent legislation. I ask for some transparency around what assessments will be done on the effects of that legislation.

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