Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I agree that anybody who commits a crime anywhere, be it outside a chip shop, a dance hall or a club, must be held responsible under the law for their actions. The difference is that we are placing an onus on the owners of food premises to ensure that this type of behaviour does not occur outside their premises. I agree that a person who commits a crime outside a premises must be held accountable but holding the owner of the premises accountable will be extremely difficult to implement. We are not giving the management of these premises the guidelines under which they must operate. We are not telling them what they must do but rather saying that they are responsible for the behaviour of people outside their premises.