FACT #5: Did You Know?

The Government’s Sale of Alcohol Bill which is currently making its way through the legislative process, proposes a significant liberalisation of alcohol licensing in Ireland, extending opening hours for late bars, significantly extending night club hours (to 6pm, with alcohol being sold until 5am), making it much easier for a range of venues (for example theatres etc.) to sell alcohol, removing the limits on the number of licenses and removing some of the current protections relating to children. It also fails to properly regulate rapidly expanding alcohol delivery services and misses the opportunity to increase protections for children and young people in respect to when, where and how alcohol is sold. People have a right to know and to understand the wide range of risks associated with the legislative proposals.