Plans to row back 9pm pub ban on children
The concession, by Justice Minister Michael McDowell, is unlikely to be enough to appease pub and hotel owners complaining that the 9pm ban, allied to the smoking ban, is severely damaging their business.
Publicans are supposed to meet with Fianna Fáil TDs today to discuss their plight after calling off a threatened protest at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party seminar in Inchydoney, Co Cork earlier this year.
Mr McDowell is considering a slight relaxation of the ban by pushing the starting time out to 10pm during June, July and August to take account of the concerns raised by the tourist industry.
Pointing out that the feedback from the gardaí on the ban is positive, the Minister’s spokesman said last night that Mr McDowell is only thinking about a one hour reprieve and not a fundamental change to the law.
The minister is compiling a major piece of legislation to draw together all the laws relating to the sale of alcohol, and this liquor licensing consolidation act is due to be published in the coming months.
The minister previously promised that he would look at any common sense measure put forward as a compromise to the night time children’s pub ban.
The campaign against the 9pm ban has been driven from the southwest. Minister for Tourism, John O’Donoghue, raised the matter with Mr McDowell after being lobbied by tourism industry representatives in Kerry and a number of TDs from Cork, Kerry and Limerick have publicly expressed sympathy for the arguments made.
But the Minister has argued that the law must be the same for a large hotel in Temple Bar as a small hotel in Dingle.
As part of the campaign against the ban, Vintners Federation of Ireland representatives from Cork are supposed to be meeting with Fianna Fáil TDs today.
Fermoy Vintners’ chairman, Noel McCarthy, said the publican’s called off a planned protest at Inchydoney after local FF TDs apparently agreed to meet with them this afternoon.
While the publicans are far less optimistic about any leeway on the smoking ban, they want the 9pm ban on children to be eased significantly.
“We’re looking for more than just an hour during the Summer. We are looking for it to be relaxed or put back to 10:30 pm or 11pm. If we can get anything at all it would help as it is affecting us big time,” Mr McCarthy said.
