593. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the proposed timeline for progress of the Sale of Alcohol Bill. [15379/23] 

Simon Harris, Minister for Justice: Following extensive consultation with representative bodies in the licensed trade, businesses, public health bodies, consumers and communities, the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill was published on the 25th of October. It marks the Government’s commitment to the reform and streamlining of licensing laws to support and stimulate the night time economy. 

The present system is based on a patchwork of 100 laws - some of which are almost 200 years old and two thirds of which pre-date the foundation of the State 100 years ago. 

The extensive General Scheme of the Bill, which runs to approximately 500 pages, proposes to modernise permitted opening hours, in line with the expectations and needs of today’s society and encourage the development of a modern and diverse night-time economy. The General Scheme of the bill also intends to streamline the licensing system and provide for a more transparent, user-friendly application process. 

Given the known social and health effects associated with misuse of alcohol, Ireland has, for many decades, operated a restrictive regime for licencing. The General Scheme of the bill retains that approach and will ensure that the sale of alcohol remains closely regulated. 

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice recently conducted two pre-legislative scrutiny sessions on the draft legislation, and their report was published on 2 March 2023. 

Officials are engaging with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel on the drafting of the Bill, and despite the length of the general scheme, it is hoped that the Bill can be published and introduced into the Oireachtas this year. 

594. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice the consultation his Department undertook with alcohol-related harm advocacy groups and service providers ahead of the publication of the Sale of Alcohol Bill. [15380/23] 

Simon Harris, Minister for Justice: Following extensive consultation with representative bodies in the licensed trade, businesses, public health bodies, consumers and communities, the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill was published on the 25th of October. It marks the Government’s commitment to the reform and streamlining of licensing laws to support and stimulate the night time economy. 

On 25 November 2021, Minister McEntee launched a public consultation to seek the views of the public on the modernisation of Ireland’s licencing laws. 

The consultation, which ran until 21 January 2022, looked at how best to update the existing laws governing the sale and regulation of alcohol in Ireland. Members of the public, academics, sectoral groups and representative organisations were invited to complete an online survey and/or make a written submission to the Department. There was a high level of response to the consultation, with in excess of 5,000 responses received. Submissions were received from alcohol-related harm advocacy groups as part of the consultation. 

The Department reviewed these responses to ensure the reform of the legislation takes account of and is informed by this engagement. A report on the responses received together with a selection of the submissions were published on 7 November 2022. 

On 10 March 2022, Minister McEntee also hosted a consultation webinar and panel discussion event on reform of the alcohol licensing laws to give an opportunity for further discussion of the issues of concern to stakeholders. 

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice conducted two pre-legislative scrutiny sessions on the draft legislation, the first on 24 January 2023 and the second on January 31 2023. Academics, sectoral groups and representative organisations were invited to contribute to these sessions. Representatives from Alcohol Action Ireland, the Institute of Public Health and the Irish Community Action of Alcohol Network took part in the second of the pre-legislative scrutiny sessions. The Committee published their report on 2 March 2023. 

Officials in the Department of Justice also recently met with Alcohol Action Ireland to discuss their concerns and continue to engage with various public and voluntary health bodies. 

595. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice if he has met with members of An Garda Síochána regarding the Sale of Alcohol Bill; the concerns raised by them at this/these meeting(s); and his plans to address same. [15381/23] 

Simon Harris, Minister for Justice: An Garda Siochana was fully consulted as this general scheme was developed. 

The Department of Justice continues to engage with An Garda Síochána in relation to the Sale of Alcohol Bill to ensure that it contains a full suite of enforcement powers to meet their policing needs. 

The Government is also committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, which is reflected in an allocation of over €2.14 billion under Budget 2023. This level of funding will provide a steady pipeline of new Gardaí in the coming years, and the Government will continue to work with the Commissioner to ensure that members of An Garda Síochána are fully supported. 

This funding allocation will support the recruitment of up to 1,000 Gardaí and 400 additional Garda staff this year. An Garda Síochána, in partnership with the Public Appointments Service, launched a recruitment campaign on Friday 24 March 2023, which will ensure a continuous stream of candidates going into 2024. 

The Government is also continuing its active, priority focus on combatting criminality and anti-social behaviour. A range of commitments are set out in the Programme for Government and Justice Plan. Budget 2023 included a €5m increase in the overtime budget for An Garda Síochána – to over €100m - to support high visibility policing to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. 

596. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Justice whether he will publish public health risk assessments undertaken by any Government Department in preparation for the Sale of Alcohol Bill. [15382/23] 

Simon Harris, Minister for Justice: Following extensive consultation with representative bodies in the licensed trade, businesses, public health bodies, consumers and communities, the General Scheme of the Sale of Alcohol Bill was published on the 25th of October. It marks the Government’s commitment to the reform and streamlining of licensing laws to support and stimulate the night time economy. 

On 25 November 2021, Minister McEntee launched a public consultation to seek the views of the public on the modernisation of Ireland’s licencing laws. 

The consultation, which ran until 21 January 2022, looked at how best to update the existing laws governing the sale and regulation of alcohol in Ireland. Members of the public, academics, sectoral groups and representative organisations were invited to complete an online survey and/or make a written submission to the Department. There was a high level of response to the consultation, with in excess of 5,000 responses received. Submissions were received from alcohol-related harm advocacy groups as part of the consultation. 

The Department reviewed these responses to ensure the reform of the legislation takes account of and is informed by this engagement. A report on the responses received together with a selection of the submissions were published on 7 November 2022. 

On 10 March 2022, Minister McEntee also hosted a consultation webinar and panel discussion event on reform of the alcohol licensing laws to give an opportunity for further discussion of the issues of concern to stakeholders. 

The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice conducted two pre-legislative scrutiny sessions on the draft legislation, the first on 24 January 2023 and the second on January 31 2023. Academics, sectoral groups and representative organisations were invited to contribute to these sessions. Representatives from Alcohol Action Ireland, the Institute of Public Health and the Irish Community Action of Alcohol Network took part in the second of the pre-legislative scrutiny sessions. The Committee published their report on 2 March 2023. 

Officials in the Department of Justice continue to engage with various public and voluntary health bodies.

735. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the role his Department has undertaken in consulting on, or drafting, the proposed Sale of Alcohol Bill. [15375/23] 

736. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health whether his Department has undertaken a risk assessment of proposed alcohol sale changes in the Sale of Alcohol Bill. [15376/23] 

737. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Health the harm reduction framework under which his Department has assessed the proposed Sale of Alcohol Bill. [15377/23] 

Stephen Donnelly, Minister for Health: I propose to take Questions Nos. 735, 736 and 737 together. 

I provided my responses on the proposals for the Sale of Alcohol Bill, and on the General Scheme of the Bill, at relevant cabinet meetings. 

My Department was not involved in the development of this Bill as it is the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Justice and her Department.