James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Warfield for raising this important matter regarding an update on the proposed sale of alcohol Bill 2022 and when opening hours will be extended. I convey the apologies of my colleague, the Minister for Justice, Deputy Helen McEntee, who regrets she cannot be here for this Commencement matter debate due to another commitment.

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter and for giving me the opportunity to provide an update on the drafting of the sale of alcohol Bill 2022 on behalf of the Minister. Supporting our night-time culture and its economy is a central promise in the programme for Government and in the justice plans of the Minister. To do so, we need modern laws that are fit for purpose, while also recognising that the sale of alcohol must be regulated with public health and public order very much in mind. What we have now is a patchwork of more than 100 laws, some two-thirds of which predate the foundation of our State a century ago. All these laws need modernisation and reform. With the publication of the sale of alcohol Bill 2022, we will, instead, have one modern piece of legislation to regulate the sale of alcohol. Consultation with the relevant stakeholders is important to ensure the proposed provisions will be effective in achieving our goal of revitalising the night-time economy in a safe and sustainable manner.

To that end, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice conducted pre-legislative scrutiny in late January 2023 and the resulting report was published in March 2023. Officials in my Department are also in ongoing consultations with stakeholders, including An Garda Síochána, other Government Departments, stakeholder bodies, such as those representing publicans and restaurateurs, and public health groups, to progress associated matters. An implementation group, composed of officials from the Department of Justice, the Courts Service and the Revenue Commissioners, was established to assist with the smooth transition to the reformed licensing system. Several bilateral meetings are also taking place to address specific queries and the requirements of each group. Despite the considerable length and complexity of the general scheme of the Bill, the Minister intends to publish the legislation and introduce it into the Oireachtas later this year.

With direct reference to the issue of opening hours, I take this opportunity to outline our intentions. We will regularise opening hours for on-licence premises. Standard opening hours will be from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 a.m. every day of the week. Additionally, we will introduce two new licences to allow for later opening hours for on-licence premises. A late bar permit will allow premises to open until 12.30 a.m. and a nightclub permit will allow premises to open until 6 a.m. It is intended that these permits will be granted on an annual basis as opposed to the one-off basis as is currently the case.