Equality laws prevent publicans from ejecting children, claims VFI

CHILDREN are running riot in pubs because publicans cannot ask them to leave, the Vintners Federation of Ireland said yesterday.

At the first day of its annual conference in Donegal, VFI chief executive Tadhg O’Sullivan said few publicans would risk a fine of up to €4,000 under the Equal Status Act, and blamed ‘zealots’ for promoting the interpretations handed down under the act.

“We thought we had a relatively simple position. At a reasonable time of night a child could be asked to leave. But now, once a child is accompanied by an adult, neither can be asked to leave the premises. I don’t think it is right and I don’t think it is legal,” he said.