Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to see more of the night-time economy so I welcome this motion. I know there was a briefing today. I apologise because I was unable to make it. I take on board Senator Warfield's point that there were hundreds of nightclubs in this country in previous years. In Ballinasloe, we had three nightclubs when I was growing up, which was fantastic. Unfortunately, that is not the case now. There are many reasons for that, such as changes in the population. I must admit it was fantastic to have that, so I very much support the need for the night-time economy. Everyone agrees that the licensing laws are outdated. The Minister will look at the licensing laws in the justice plan that she will be bringing forward. We are part of Europe. We want to be a European nation that stands tall in terms of all the things we do in this country, including our night-time economy. I would be very supportive of that, especially for the arts. Senator Warfield mentioned that musicians, DJs and others make a living in the night-time economy.

When it comes to transport, we have buses back to Galway that would go until about 10 p.m., but it is tough. There were great gigs all over Dublin in the last while. Everything came back to life again after the lockdown of two years. It was great to see. I saw one of the gigs in Trinity College which was brilliant. I missed the one in Malahide. Unfortunately our times that we spend in the Seanad mean that sometimes we do not get to see the great gigs that are going on. Even here in the Dublin City Council area, there were events in Fairview, Dublin, as well.

The Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, is also looking at pilots in a number of towns throughout the country. How we do that is going to be important. We need to consider how we can open up the country for our night-time economy, for example by using some of our galleries and State institutions, such as museums. They are there and we can use them. I would be supportive of the amendment. I look forward to the Minister’s update on the timeline for this and the aspects of it that relate to the Department of Justice. We need to see this happen. It can only lead to a more vibrant Ireland. Looking at the safety aspects, these are crucial, such as large numbers of people coming onto the streets at the same time.