LONG-AWAITED LEGISLATION to allow pubs and nightclubs to extend their opening hours is expected to be brought to government in October, the Taoiseach has confirmed to The Journal. 

The Government signed off on a draft of the Sale of Alcohol Bill almost two years ago, initially promised late night pub and club openings would be in operation by summer 2023. However, that date has been been since pushed back on a number of occasions. 

In an interview with The Journal, Taoiseach Simon Harris said he remains committed to getting the legislation in place and believes it gets the balance right between supporting the night time economy and addressing concerns raised by the likes of the Road Safety Authority.

He was however, not confident if the legislation would be passed by the Oireachtas within the lifetime of this Government. 

Speculation has been rife in political circles for months over the date of the next general election, with many believing it will be called in October or November of this year. 

Harris has maintained that the Government will “go full term”, which means it could run until March 2025 at the very latest. 

If an election is called before Christmas it is highly unlikely the legislation will be passed in this Dáil’s lifetime, meaning it risks being dropped completely.

“I expect that to go to Cabinet very shortly…being very honest, whether it passes the Oireachtas in the lifetime of this Government is a matter for the Oireachtas and other things,” Harris said.

“It’s a matter for the minister [of Justice], but I expected it to go, I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes, in the month of October, but it is a matter for the minister,” Harris added.

The Taoiseach said he wanted to reassure people that legislation can be resumed at the stage it was left after an election and said it is therefore imporant to make sure some get started.

“Obviously, some bills will be completed before a general election, and then every Dáil some bills aren’t, but they can then be reintroduced straight after and continue where they were. They don’t have to go back to the beginning,” Harris said.

Concerns

Part of the delay with the bill has been due to concerns raised by the Chief Medical Officer and the Road Safety Authority.

In January, the chair of the RSA board Liz O’Donnell wrote to the Government urging them to stop progressing the legislation over concerns it would lead to an increase in road deaths.

A number of Fine Gael backbenchers have also been pushing back against it, with some claiming there is no demand for later licensing laws and that it will have a detrimental impact on public health. 

The initial push for the legislation came from Leo Varadkar when he was Taoiseach and was first floated by him back in 2019, when he told The Journal that he believed the laws needed to be reformed and brought more in line with other cities in Europe.

Varadkar made the point that some tourists say that Irish nightlife “can be disappointing” compared to other European cities. 

When asked if Harris is personally committed to getting this legislation across the line, he said he is satisfied that they’ve gotten the balance right.

He added that he thinks it is important that the likes of the RSA are listened to and that there is engagement with the gardaí, the health service and others as it progresses.

“But I think there’s a broader issue here that others would have highlighted. And I think the Dublin City Center Task Force, I hope, will address a lot of that. How do we actually make people feel safe on a night out and the likes, how do we have a safe, vibrant capital city? And I hope to bring that forward in the next couple of weeks,” the Taoiseach said.