Minister Has Discretion for Bill’s Commencemnet Date

Contentious Liquor Bill To Be Passed Without Proper Consultation - Regan

The hasty manner in which the Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008 is being rushed through the Dáil is leaving little or no time for proper consideration of the implications the legislation will have for public safety, according to Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson, Senator Eugene Regan.  “The contentious Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008 is being swept through the Dáil and Seanad at a ferocious rate and little time has been given to seriously debating the repercussions that this legislation will have on society with regard to public order offences. “It is ironic that the primary purpose of the Bill was to deal with public order issues, however the reality is that the Bill’s objective is being undermined by its own provisions when consideration is given to the closing times of venues. “It is appalling practice that a mere seven amendments of this Bill that were tabled were debated in the Dáil, with no Report Stage being undertaken. There has been no real time given to public consultation or proper consideration of this Bill, which if enacted will be a recipe for escalating street crime. “Assurances from the Seanad Leader this week that the Upper House can debate this Bill for as long as necessary this evening is an empty gesture as the Dáil will adjourn later today and will be unable to consider any amendments proposed. This is confirmed by the fact that Fianna Fáil and Green Senators, who tabled amendments to the Bill, this afternoon withdrew their own amendments. “The Government is displaying ‘mule-like’ stubbornness in its resistance to suggestions to improve this Bill. If sequential closing is not introduced there will be serious implications for public safety as thousands of people spill onto the streets simultaneously.

“Fine Gael intends proposing a special licence for nightclubs subject to a range of stringent public safety conditions which will provide the solution to sequential closing and public safety.

Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008 and the Legislative Procedure

Speaking in the Seanad under the Order of Business on the 8^th of July, I spoke out against the way the Government rushed through the Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008. “The Government is pulling a stunt in rushing through the House this week the Intoxicating Liquor Bill 2008. The Dáil is dealing with Committee and Report Stages of the Bill today. The Seanad will tomorrow take Second Stage of the Bill and will take Committee and Report Stages on Thursday. Adequate time should be provided for public consultation in regard to the tabling of appropriate amendments to substantive legislation. Also, the legislation should be adequately debated in this House. In rushing through this legislation, the Government is hiding the failure to adhere to its legislative programme. Very little of the legislation contained in the legislative programme has been enacted by the Oireachtas this year. The only substantive piece of legislation enacted was the Finance Bill which is flawed legislation, bearing in mind it is effectively being amended today in respect of changes to planned expenditure as a result of a shortfall in tax take and the over-shoot of expenditure, both of which were predictable at the beginning of the year. The Government proposes to introduce in the autumn comprehensive legislation on the sale of alcohol. I believe the Intoxicating Liquor Bill and that legislation should be taken together. This would ensure there is adequate time for parliamentary scrutiny of this legislation. We cannot complain about the inadequate time available in respect of the scrutiny of EU legislation while at the same time accepting the Government’s fixing of procedure to ensure there is inadequate time for proper parliamentary scrutiny by both Houses of this type of legislation.  

I ask that the Leader consider my proposal which will ensure this legislation, which affects a number of interests with views on the matter that need to be considered by politicians, is not rushed through this House”.