Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

The current situation in England and Wales provides a salutary lesson to those who would liberalise the licensing laws in the hope of reducing anti-social behaviour and public disorder on the streets. In late 2005, when longer opening hours were introduced in the UK, British Ministers argued that the aim of this was to reduce the disorder caused when everyone emerged from licensed premises at the same time.

A research report issued by the Home Office earlier this year reported that there was no clear evidence to date that positive benefit had accrued from staggered or better managed closing times. There were no clear signs that the abolition of a standard closing time had significantly reduced problems of crime and disorder. While there were some signs that crimes involving serious violence may have fallen, the overall volume or incidence of crime and disorder remained unchanged and there was evidence of what can be described as temporary displacement in that the number of violent crimes that occurred in the small hours of the morning had grown.

Bearing this in mind and, following advice from the Garda Síochána, the Government believes the effect of postponed or delayed closure in terms of nightclubs and drinking generally is only in public order and policing terms to postpone the phenomenon to a later time. There is no defined or clear benefit in having staggered or prolonged closing times. For this reason and others, the Government has chosen to stick with the existing regime and to not provide for a 4 a.m. closing time. I believe this is sensible.

There is no point extending opening hours unless behaviour changes, as is clear from the experience in the UK generally and in particular from the local authority associations there who have undertaken surveys in this regard. A point of difference between ourselves and people on continental Europe, which is of regret, is our binge drinking habits which we share with our nearest neighbours in the UK. I lived on the continent and I never witnessed there the Irish and British phenomenon of drinking at speed in concentrated periods and resultant public disorder. I have not witnessed there such behaviour to any great extent.

I lived in eastern Europe and was quite amazed to see large numbers of young people going in and out of nightclubs late at night and very little public order or anti-social behaviour occurring. There is definitely a phenomenon in this regard in Britain and Ireland. There is no point pretending otherwise. We all aspire to experiencing here that which we experience while on holiday on the continent and so on in terms of public order on the streets. I was amazed at the behaviour of young people on the continent either on the streets late at night or during the day time.

I was lucky enough to be in the Slovak capital during its accession to the EU. There were thousands of people packed into the main town square, many of whom were drinking, yet there was not even a hint of anti-social behaviour or disorder. Also, there was not a huge police presence. The phenomenon of binge drinking in Britain and Ireland needs to be addressed be it by way of curtailed opening hours or a change in behaviour. There is no clear answer to this problem.