Vintners oppose McDowell’s cafe bar plans

THE introduction of café bars in Ireland will do nothing to tackle the problem of binge drinking, according to a leading publicans’ organisation.

The Licensed Vintners’ Association, which represents over 750 pubs in the Dublin area, yesterday called on Justice Minister Michael McDowell to abandon his plans to legislate for continental-style outlets which offer a combination of food and drink. LVA chief executive, Donall O’Keeffe said publicans were supported in their opposition to the measure by numerous international and Irish studies which agreed that an increase in the number of pubs would result in further alcohol abuse.

Speaking at a press conference to promote the LVA’s submission on changes to pub legislation, Mr O’Keeffe questioned the purpose of the Government’s plans as he claimed the proposed café bars would be no different from existing small pubs.

He said there were 12,000 pubs in the Republic, one for every 250 adults, a ratio three times higher than Britain.

He pointed out that 8,200 pubs had less than 1,500 sq ft of retail space which replicated one of the main characteristics of the proposed café bars. Such a statistic exposed the “misconception” that the licensed trade was dominated by superpubs.

In other countries where there was a liberalisation of the pub licensing law, new outlets were concentrated in large towns and cities with a related increase in public order offences, said Mr O’Keeffe. “There is no reason to think it would be any different here.”

The LVA has argued that café bars by nature of their size would not appeal to young people, the age group most likely to be engaged in binge drinking.

The LVA also challenged Mr McDowell to provide evidence to support his views that café bars will change drinking patterns in Ireland. Mr O’Keeffe recalled that the Department of Health and the Government-appointed Strategic Task Force on Alcohol, as well as the Irish Medical Organisation, had stressed the importance of regulating the physical availability of alcohol and limiting the number of sales outlets. “Given the public concern about alcohol abuse in Ireland, the case for maintaining the current licensing structure is overwhelming.”

Instead, the LVA has urged the minister to focus on making it easier for restaurants and wine bars to obtain licences to sell a full range of alcohol.

Asked to justify the concern of publicans for the health of consumers given the LVA’s opposition to the smoking ban, Mr O’Keeffe insisted they were “two different debates.”

However, he conceded that the LVA also had “a legitimate self-interest” in opposing the introduction of café bars due to the “enormous competition” already existing in the sector.