Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was trying to get other Members to be brief and will certainly attempt to be brief myself. I wanted to step out of the Chair to make comments I would not otherwise have been able to make. Almost all issues have been addressed but I particularly congratulate and thank Senator Lawless for putting the legislation forward, along with his co-sponsors, Senators Boyhan, Craughwell and McDowell. I also thank my party, Fianna Fáil, for supporting the legislation. It had to consider and deliberate on the Bill. I thank the Fianna Fáil leader, Deputy Micheál Martin, his Front Bench team and other party members for their support.

When I was elected to the Seanad, I told the Licensed Vintners Association, LVA, which represents Dublin publicans and was good enough, along with another body, to nominate me for the Seanad, that I would do my best to have this issue addressed but, as a new Senator, I was unsure of what the outcome would be. I am delighted that, a year after being elected to the Seanad, the Bill is progressing through the House. Pubs are the lifeblood of communities in both rural and urban areas across the country and are also very important to tourism. The number of visitors from the UK, which is our biggest market, has dropped significantly this year. Anything that detracts from Ireland's attractiveness to that market is not a good thing. In recent years, many pubs in Dublin have opened on Good Friday to serve food and soft drinks. They will now also be able to serve alcohol.

I thank former Senator Imelda Henry and welcome her to the House, along with the chief executives of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, VFI, and the LVA. They have also done great work on this issue and many others. To hear Members such as Senator Frances Black supporting the Bill gives one confidence it will result in less alcohol being consumed on Good Friday than was previously the case because there is much anecdotal evidence of off-licence operators saying Holy Thursday is their busiest day of the year. An off-licence not far from my house ran out of beer on a Holy Thursday several years ago.

This is a very significant day. The Minister might outline how soon the Bill might pass through the Dáil, although I acknowledge that is a matter for the Business Committee. Senators want the Bill enacted long before Christmas if possible in order that there be no likelihood that it will not be in force by Good Friday 2018.

In reference to a point raised by Senator Gavan, both publican representative organisations support the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill and have no difficulty with it. They may have felt that it was being frustrated and that if their piece of legislation went into it, it might never see the light of day but they are not against the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill.