Seanad debates

Wednesday, 18 June 2003

Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2003: Second Stage.

 

I welcome the fact that a licensee may permit a person aged 15 to 17 years to be present in a bar unaccompanied by a parent or guardian but not after 8 p.m. I ask that the Minister reconsider the time limit. He should not implement this measure now but wait six months. There is a difference between urban and rural areas. I despise the fact that there are many young people in pubs in urban areas. However, if this measure gets rid of the confirmation and communion discos, the Minister should reconsider. There are places, perhaps in rural areas, to which adults go for a drink and bring their 15 or 16 year old children. There should be a room adjacent to the pub with a pool table or television set in which the children can meet their friends while their parents are having a drink. Perhaps the Minister should consider a provision—

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