Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Seanad Éireann: welcomes:

- the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce published in September 2021;

- the Programme for Government commitment to reform licensing laws, application processes and to conduct a full review of policies governing night-time culture;

commends:

- 'Give Us The Night' and all campaigners advocating for positive changes to nightlife in Ireland;

recognises that:

- there has been a failure to sufficiently update licensing laws;

- night-life and night-time entertainment in cities and towns is under severe threat;

- property costs, prohibitive insurance premiums, restrictive licensing laws and associated fees have a crippling effect on businesses and cultural activity;

- of the 522 nightclubs in operation in the year 2000, only 85 remain;

- the policy focus relating to nightlife and the night-time economy has revolved solely around alcohol rather than the holistic, community and societal benefits of night-time culture;

- night-life is about communities and culture, for people of all ages, those who consume alcohol and those who don't;

- public transport and taxi services are essential components of the night-time economy;

- since 2019, 2,562 taxis have been lost from the transport system with the resulting shortage of taxis now impacting the night-time economy;

notes that:

- night-life and the night-time economy are vital to the growth and development of the arts and culture sector;

- existing licensing laws prevent not-for-profit arts centres, cultural buildings, theatres and galleries from diversifying their programming and income streams and deny greater employment opportunities to artists and arts workers and valuable cultural offerings to audiences and local communities;

further notes:

- the workers' rights issues that exist in the night-time economy, including unpaid wages, lack of collective bargaining, the denial of legal breaks and an expectation that workers perform duties unpaid, such as cleaning-up after closing;

calls for:

- the update and modernisation of licensing laws and costs;

- the reform of trading hours;

- a new annual nightclub licence;

- an end to early closing on Sundays;

- the abolition of Special Exemption Orders;

- greater access to the night-time market for arts centres, theatres and galleries with an appropriate licence renewed annually;

- the increased use of the National Cultural Institutions Licence;

- a new licence for not-for-profits, including for one-off events;

- greater use of existing State-owned indoor and outdoor spaces, including cultural buildings and heritage sites for entertainment and events;

- new locations and districts to be identified where nightlife can thrive;

- a scheme to support late night entertainment in cafés and more options for alcohol-free events;

- licences to be moved to a new online portal that would connect stakeholders, including the Courts Service, An Garda Síochána, Local Authorities and Fire Officers;

- new models of consultation and innovative measures that mitigate adverse effects of nightlife on local residents;

- the provision of premium pay for staff working beyond 11.30 p.m;

- the granting and renewal of a licence to be contingent on compliance with employment law and the name of the employer and premises to be published where breaches of employment law occur;

- the increased roll out of 24-hour bus routes in Dublin city, extended operating hours for Luas and DART and an extension of the ten-year rule for taxis;

- increased harm reduction interventions and initiatives in the night-time economy to build on recent HSE campaigns.

I am sharing time with Senator Boylan.