Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I am a liberal person and I would have no difficulty with allowing public houses to remain open 24 hours a day if people were able to deal with alcohol in the way that people in Spain can deal with it. My son was working in a pub there last year and it remained open all night. Pubs in Spain close for an hour between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., but there is no violence on the streets. The people there can take their drink. I would prefer to keep the closing hours as they stand, but the Commission on Liquor Licensing reported that since opening hours were extended incidents of public disorder have increased significantly. The numbers are frightening and they must be related to late opening.

I would like the Minister to repeal the late opening on Friday and Saturday. I have not decided whether to put down an amendment to provide for that. I will consider it over the next hour or so. The matter needs to be reviewed, which is why I welcome the Minister's promise to do so.

If we had the gardaí on the street, we would not have the serious anti-social and public disorder problems that exist at present. It is the lack of a Garda presence which is at issue. The Irish youngsters who go to work in Munich and other European cities are told that it is not acceptable to misbehave there. They know that if they do they will be picked up by the authorities. Anti-social behaviour is not tolerated there, but it is tolerated here. If one walks down the street late at night, one will see people doing all sorts of things, but there are no gardaí there to arrest them.

I agree with many of the Bill's provisions including the requirement for identity cards for those under 21. The Minister asked if Fine Gael would allow children under the age of 15 to remain in a public house until 9 p.m., but I would prefer to keep the limit at 8 p.m. I attended a committee meeting in recent days at which a Member raised the issue of a person returning from a match at Croke Park who wished to have a meal in a pub with their young kids. It was thought that 8 p.m. was a little too early. However, if one enters a pub on a Sunday, one will see very young children running around uncontrolled. I do not want to see them in the pubs at 9 p.m. when they should be at home. I recommend that the Minister maintains the limit at 8 p.m.

I have asked about labelling on previous occasions. It will be of great assistance to gardaí who meet young people out and about with the cans they have bought in an off-licence or pub if it can be ascertained which establishment sold the alcohol.