Plans to allow bars and clubs open until 6am unlikely to happen by summer

The Government previously announced it wishes to allow pubs trade from 10.30am to 12.30am seven days a week, and permit nightclubs to remain open until 6am. Picture: iStock

Plans to allow nightclubs and late bars to remain open until 6am this summer will not happen despite previous promises. 

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that, despite “pressing” Justice Minister Helen McEntee to progress the laws, it has not yet happened.

Mr Varadkar said: “I don’t know if it’ll be done by the summer. It’s something I’ve been pressing Minister McEntee to make progress on. 

"It’s legislation I’d like to see enacted as soon as possible but, as Minister McEntee pointed out, she has many priorities and more important priorities than opening nightclubs late perhaps, but she is working on it.”

Legislation to overhaul Ireland’s licensing laws was approved by the cabinet last November with a target of the new rules taking effect this summer.

Ms McEntee previously outlined that the bill will make regular trading hours for pubs 10.30am to 12.30am seven days a week, as well as allowing nightclubs to remain open until 6am.

It is also intended that the legislation will put changes introduced to rules governing outdoor seating areas on a permanent footing.

Mr Varadkar said as far back as 2019 that Irish licensing laws in this area were “archaic” and Fine Gael would reform them.

However, he said the government expects to be able to publish the Bill in the next couple of months, before the summer recess.

Speaking to reporters in Bucharest, Romania, he said: “Whether it gets through or not is up to the Dáil and the Seanad as much as it is up to the Government but we will have the legislation ready.”

Mr Varadkar expects to publish the bill before the Dáil breaks for the summer recess but said: “It’s not the comprehensive reform of the licensing legislation which was hoped for.

“It’s something more bespoke, more targeted, particularly around allowing late licences for nightclubs and cultural events, so that we can have in our cities and towns the kind of nightlife they have in pretty much every other European country, but we don’t have in Ireland.”

The Taoiseach said he would not like to create the impression that alcohol will be “widely available” in every pub, hotel, and nightclub until the early hours of the morning.

He said it is not going to be the case that there is a huge number of licenses issued. He added: 

We want to be able to have venues and nightlife like you would see here in Bucharest or Berlin or London or Barcelona or Lisbon or any other European city. 

“Irish people have experience of those cities and wonder why we can’t have that in our country.”  

The Taoiseach said advice from An Garda Síochána is that it is “comfortable” with the draft legislation and have  not expressed concern about a possible increase in antisocial behaviour. 

“They're comfortable with that, because instead of everyone emptying out on the streets in a very short window of time, that will be staggered more.

“That could be helpful from a public order point of view. 

"I’m not saying it will be, necessarily, but so long they’ve a role in the licensing, they believe that being able to spread people out over a longer period of time could help in terms of fewer people hanging around waiting for taxis, and perhaps getting out late enough to use public transport early in the morning at 6.30am.”