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.

Mr O’Sullivan said pubs were not suitable or safe places for children at night.

“This decision is made in the interests of children’s safety and on moral grounds. Pubs are no place for children late at night, when they can be very crowded and noisy and it is essentially an adults-only environment.”

Doubts over publicans’ powers arose last year, when the Glimmer Man pub in Dublin was found to have discriminated against a blind traveller under the Equal Status Act.

The pub initially served the man but later refused him further service because his 13-year-old son was present.

The Commission on Liquor Licensing recommended legislation be introduced to allow publicans to ban children from premises or to allow them in for a limited number of hours.

The report also recommended that publicans should be entitled to ask any parent accompanied by a child to leave the premises if they are present for an excessively long period.

The chief executive of the Equality Authority said raising the Glimmer Man case was retreading old ground.

“The challenge for the vintners and for everyone else is to find ways to implement the equality legislation which we have without recourse to discrimination,” said Neil Crowley.

The VFI wants the legislation brought in quickly, but said every publican was still entitled to put up a sign stating that children are not permitted on the premises after 7pm.

It has also called for speedy legislation on the right to refuse service. The Liquor Licensing Commission has proposed that publicans should be able to refuse service to people acting in a violent or disorderly manner, or to those who have a history of violence.

“As business people competing in areas where there is one pub for every 300 people, publicans do not refuse business unless they believe there is a real threat of inappropriate or violent behaviour on their premises.

“Protection of their customers, staff and property remains the priority and if this is threatened, a publican must retain an unquestionable right to refuse service,” Mr O’Sullivan said.