Alex White (Labour)

I strongly support the amendment put forward by Senator Regan, as well as the argument behind it. An element of straight thinking is required on this issue but, while I know the Minister of State to be both thoughtful and discerning, I was concerned to hear some of his earlier remarks. If we are serious about addressing the social problems that arise from alcohol abuse and binge drinking, it is a pity to argue for restricted opening hours in all circumstances for nightclubs and other licensed premises. It is dangerous and unrealistic to believe that the first issue is directly linked to the second. The logical conclusion would be to advocate greatly reduced opening hours for public houses, which is not being provided for in this Bill. There is, therefore, no causal link between opening hours and abuse, despite what the Minister of State suggested in his opening remarks.

Nightclubs are a feature of urban life throughout the world. There is nothing inherently wrong with them provided they are properly regulated, managed and secured. They are part of the social and entertainment fabric of every modern city. We should be honest about this notion of bashing nightclubs. I visit nightclubs on occasion and I do not think there is anything wrong with doing so. Nightclubs in Barcelona and in cities in Italy and Germany open later than 4 a.m. with few repercussions in terms of policing or security. They also play an important role for the music and entertainment industry. The suggestion that people go to them because they crave more drink after falling out of pubs is not true. People abuse alcohol in various surroundings but nightclubs appear to have become fair game in the Government's approach to this problem. There is nothing wrong with a responsible and controlled environment in which people can have a late night drink and enjoy themselves by dancing the night away. There is in this approach a touch of the nanny state which the Minister of State decried five minutes ago.

I am not making these points because my arm has been twisted by some society of nightclub operators. I do not care much about any particularly lobby group. Are we prepared to honestly say, as I am, that nightclubs are part of what we are? We should by all means regulate them in the manner proposed by Senator Regan's careful and detailed amendment and that is the direction in which the Minister of State should proceed.

Some of my colleagues on the Government side are of the view that the provisions in the Bill will deal solely with theatre licences. We are aware of the fiction whereby nightclubs operate with theatre licences. That is crazy because they are nightclubs rather than theatres but it is the only means by which they can open late into the night. Senator Regan's amendment takes away the reliance on theatre licences and introduces a proper nightclub licensing system. It will have the effect of addressing the issue of sequential closing in Dublin, Limerick and Cork, where public order issues arise because all the pubs and clubs disgorge their clientele at the same time. That is a completely crazy practice which I thought we had all agreed to end. It does not make sense that the streets of Dublin are crowded between 2.30 a.m. and 3 a.m. and there is nothing wrong with a relatively small number of well managed nightclubs. Senator Regan's proposal has considerable merit, therefore, and I am happy to support it.