Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I am sorry if the Minister of State is confused by the issue. The spirit of the amendment is clear. I could not accept what was said by one of the Senators on the Government side on what happens at the closing of pubs. When people leave pubs they have a choice — to go home or to go to a nightclub — and there is not this funnelling of people into one area.

The Minister of State has seen studies done elsewhere. We are shutting off the availability of somewhere to go and suddenly all those people who are out on the town come together to find transport home. There is no facility for that demand to be spread out over several hours, which there would be with staggered opening hours. I accept that people will consume too much alcohol in some instances and it is difficult to legislate for that. What we can do with staggered opening hours is at least ensure that we reduce the number of flash points on the streets. I am disappointed that the Minister of State will not accept even the spirit of our amendment, but we will not press it.