Plan to let pubs open until 2am at weekends
Justice Minister Michael McDowell wants to give local authorities the power to set pub closing times within a window of 11pm until 2am.
He says it would allow communities to help curb late-night violence, or allow publicans meet greater demand for alcohol in popular tourism spots.
The powers would be allied to new public order offences that will allow gardaí to temporarily shut down pubs or takeaways which are hotspots for drink-related trouble.
A Department of Justice spokesman yesterday confirmed that Mr McDowell hoped to include this closing hour window in the Intoxicating Liquor Bill, due to be published in the coming months.
“It would give communities the power to set the most appropriate pub closing times for their areas. There’s an opportunity now to debate the proposal before the legislation is drawn up,” the spokesman said.
The measure has already met with strong criticism from Fine Gael’s justice spokesman John Deasy, who said it would fuel drinking driving. “It’s a ridiculous proposal,” Mr Deasy said. “Imagine groups of people drinking in one local authority area, then hopping into cars to avail of extended pub hours in another,” he said.
John Douglas, of the barworkers’ union Mandate, said he was bewildered by Mr McDowell’s proposal and insisted there was no demand for these changes.
“If anything people want closing hours pulled back. Bar workers are already under enough pressure. We’re certainly not aware of any support out there for these measures,” he said.
Since July 2000, pubs close at 12.30am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 11pm on Sundays, and 11.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The pub closing times proposals are just one of several which may be included in new legislation aimed at updating Ireland’s liquor laws, some of which date back 200 years. The Government-appointed Commission on Liquor Licensing, chaired by solicitor Gordon Holmes, will submit its final report to the Government next month.
This is expected to focus on a number of areas, including recommendations on how to curb public order offences.
Mr Douglas, a member of the commission, said that so far there had been several interest groups calling for opening hours to be curbed rather than extended.
There have been concerns that the level of public order offences has spiralled as a result of the later closing times. A series of tough public order measures are currently before the Dáil aimed at addressing this.
Any law changes which could see longer opening hours are likely to be opposed by Health Minister Micheál Martin, who wants the nation to cut down on its alcohol consumption which costs the State’s health system around 2.3 billion per year.
