Publicans fear Government may mothball new late-night laws
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Publicans in Ireland are demanding the Government publish legislation to reform licensing laws to allow for late-night openings and other changes.
In a joint statement, the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) and Dublin-based Licensed Vintners Association (LVA) said the legislation had been due for publication for some time.
With Dáil Éireann due to go on its summer break on July 11, they said there were growing concerns across the nighttime economy the Government was trying to mothball its own legislation.
In a letter sent to TDs signed by Donall O’Keeffe, chief executive of the LVA, and Pat Crotty, chief executive of the VFI, they said the legislation was close to finalisation and all that was missing was the Government’s willingness to publish.
"Taking into account the timeframes remaining in this Oireachtas, we are concerned that failure to publish in the very near future will see the effective death of this legislation through inaction, meaning the Government will effectively be scrapping their own policies.
Both bodies strongly support many of the key reforms proposed by the legislation aimed at modernising the licensing regime. These include standardised opening hours for pubs, the introduction of an annual late bar permit and annual nightclub permit, strengthening public order powers of gardaí and moving licensing applications from the circuit court to the district court.
Work on the legislation has been ongoing for three years, with public consultation taking place in November 2021. The publicans believe the Government intends to separate the Sale of Alcohol Bill into two bills, with a shorter bill entitled the Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2024 to be introduced first.
The letter also says some of the recent public commentary on the legislation “has wrongly characterised the proposed nightclub permit as facilitating all pubs being open all night".
"This will clearly not be the case as the requirements of the nightclub permit are extremely demanding — requirements that we fully support. The overwhelming majority of pubs in Ireland will continue to trade their usual trading hours, and the sector will continue to be tightly regulated.
"Reform of licensing law is urgently required to facilitate the vibrancy of the night-time economy across the country — it is long overdue.”
Publicans are eager to see reform of the country's licensing laws. The VFI's AGM last month heard 37% of publicans are considering retirement within the next two years, with 84% reporting no family member wishes to inherit the pub.
The VFI also expressed deep concern over the projected increases in labour costs due to the planned shift to a living wage by the start of 2026.
"If we move to a living wage within 18 months, bank holiday pay will be almost €35 per hour for our most junior staff. Such costs are simply unsustainable for our members and could severely impact the ability of pubs across Ireland to operate viably," Pat Crotty said.