LEGISLATION ALLOWING FOR pubs and nightclubs will be published in February with the hope of getting the new laws enacted by summer 2024. 

Justice Minister Helen McEntee intends to bring the heads of the revised scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill to Cabinet by the end of the month, it has been confirmed. 

The Government had promised late night pub and club openings would be in operation by summer 2023, but the legislation has faced significant delays. 

The Journal reported last month legislation to allow nightclubs to open until 6am and pubs to open until 12.30am was to be separated into two separate pieces of legislation given the volume of changes required to overhaul Ireland’s licencing system. 

Licencing law changes by summer

The first piece of legislation being prioritised and published in February will see the opening hours extended and the consumption of alcohol in outdoor seating areas put on a more permanent footing. 

McEntee today received approval to extend the provisions of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 – a law which was introduced during the pandemic – to allow for the sale and consumption of alcohol in outdoor seating areas.

The law removed the uncertainty regarding the lawful sale and consumption of alcohol in outdoor seating areas, and allowed for pubs to serve alcohol in outdoor seating areas which had been approved by the local authorities. 

The law, which was only meant to be temporary, has to be renewed every six months. 

Today, it was extended for a further period of six months until 31 May 2024, the fourth time the legislation has been rolled over. 

The legislation also confers various enforcement powers on the gardaí and renders lawful the sale of intoxicating liquor in that area.

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Outdoor drinking 

The forthcoming legislation on licensing laws – the Sale of Alcohol Bill – is intended to address this matter on a more permanent basis. 

Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon on the matter, Minister of State at the Department of Justice James Browne, said “though Covid-19 is less prevalent, it is considered to be in the public interest to provide for the sale or supply of intoxicating liquor in certain circumstances in seating areas located outside licensed premises”. 

“The increased availability and popularity of outdoor dining and socialising has been welcomed by many. Its innovation is reflective of the demand for more variety and choice in the ways in which we socialise, and in the types of venues and social spaces that are available,” he added. 

However, concerns were raised by Labour TD Brendan Howlin and Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy over the rolling over of Covid legislation, stating that it was only meant to be temporary and any further extensions to such legislation should be stand alone pieces of legislation. 

Murphy also raised concerns that disability groups had raised in relation to access to footpaths due to the popularity of more outdoor dining structures.