Minister for Justice (Deputy Jim O'Callaghan): I move:

That Dáil Éireann resolves that the period of operation of sections 1 to 7 and 9 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2021 (No. 14 of 2021) be extended for a period of 6 months, beginning on the 1st day of June, 2025 and ending on the 30th day of November, 2025.

Five years ago, we were all caught up in the events that arose from Covid. It had a remarkable impact, not just on the lives of Irish people but also in terms of the way business was done throughout the country. It also impacted the way business was done in this House. I do not look back on that time with any great enjoyment. It was a difficult time for the Irish people. It was also a difficult time for Members of the Oireachtas…

…Deputy Matt Carthy: As the Minister said, the motion seeks to extend the provision for the consumption of alcohol in relevant outdoor seating as provided for in the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act for another six months until the end of November. The Act introduced changes in the law to allow for the sale and consumption of alcohol in relevant outdoor seating areas where those outdoor seating areas had been permitted by the local authorities on public land or were on private land next to the licensed premises.

While Sinn Féin supports the extension of this legislation, there is something dysfunctional about the fact that five years on from the start of the Covid pandemic we are dealing with extending a provision of an Act that was effectively emergency legislation brought in during the pandemic. The simple fact is that the Government should have regularised the position in respect of outdoor seating areas on a permanent basis long before now. I know it has been indicated that this will be done but there is no good reason for it to have taken so long.

These provisions are good for the hospitality sector and should be supported. We have witnessed how outdoor seating in hospitality can breathe life into many streets and town centres. That is a positive thing without question, although we also have to be cognisant of other businesses in areas. It also gives us a glimpse of what might be possible if we do more to revitalise urban communities, rural towns and villages. The approach to this issue should not be taken in isolation. We need a wider plan for how we make villages, towns and cities better places to live, work and to visit; how we support a vibrant hospitality sector; how we ensure that villages, towns and cities are safer and more welcoming places; how we invest in public spaces and amenities; how we help small local businesses to get started and to thrive; how we ensure there are proper public services, including access to GP services, good public transport and enough gardaí; and how we ensure that towns have amenities like swimming pools and youth clubs

Unfortunately, the policies of successive Governments have hollowed out our villages, rural towns and city centres. This week I held a public meeting in my home town of Carrickmacross to allow local people air their concerns about community safety and other issues. Despite being invited, An Garda Síochána, council executive staff and other political representatives from other parties failed to take the opportunity to come to listen and respond to those concerns. Like many towns, Carrickmacross has been a great town and continues to have businesses and local community organisations doing their best to make the town the best possible place to live, work and raise a family. The town has some unique challenges but it also faces issues that are familiar to many areas. Local services have closed down. Local authorities have been underfunded. The abolition of the town council was one of the most stupid and counterproductive political decisions in modern times. Businesses have closed under the pressure of rising operating costs, including energy and insurance costs, and little or nothing has been done to address those rising costs. Small local shops have gone too, replaced sometimes by large supermarkets on the edges of towns. We had the closure of Bose, a significant employer in our area, and in 2019 to much fanfare, the then Minister for enterprise cut a ribbon and claimed credit for 60 new jobs that would come to that Bose site. Those jobs never came, and subsequent Ministers have hidden from any accountability since. We learned this week that factory is up for sale again. Some of the most prominent buildings in our town centre lie idle. There was a time when any good sized local town had a cinema, theatre and hotels. People lived in the centre of the town above shops, some family businesses thrived for generations and people knew their local gardaí. This is no longer the case. It is crucial that our towns do not shut and just become departed after 6 p.m. In addition to ensuring people can actually live in our towns and villages, it means supporting a vibrant night-time economy. For this to work, people need to feel safe going into our towns and cities at night. That will not be the case unless we have enough gardaí to police our streets and ensure there is a visible Garda presence.

Dereliction simply should not be tolerated nor should slum landlords. They damage the fabric of our towns and villages. Sinn Féin has been raising this for a long time. It should not be tolerated at any time but it certainly should not be tolerated in the middle of a housing crisis. If the Government values our communities and those people who hold them together, who coach our children's sports teams, who run our youth clubs, who organise local festivals, who are part of Tidy Towns committees, who care for the elderly and isolated, then Government must support them by investing in local facilities and amenities. People should not have to fight and campaign for basic amenities such as recreational or sports facilities and safe town centres. It is time for proper investment and rejuvenation of towns and villages. That includes investment in public spaces, tackling dereliction and ensuring proper services and facilities are in place. What that means for Carrickmacross and towns like it is supporting businesses that bring vibrancy and commercial activity back to the urban centres. In our town and lots of others we have too many vape shops and mobile phone repair shops. What we need is a proper mix of amenity and businesses in our town centres. They need support for that to happen.

There is a serious problem. If, for example, a local business team wants to bring a night club or another activity to a vacant business in Carrickmacross or a similar town, it will receive no support. It will probably receive blockages from the official system. However, if it decides to turn that same building into an IPAS centre, it will secure a substantial State funding package. That is not fair on anyone involved, except the beneficiary who is making a profit. That approach has to end. It is time to revitalise our town centres. That means more gardaí, more amenities, more support for local businesses and less for those that do not have the interests of the community at the core of what they do. That is the message coming from Carrickmacross and all over Ireland. It is time that the Government heeded that message. It is time to invest in our town centres. This legislation is a small part of all that.

Deputy Alan Kelly: We will of course support this. It is kind of ridiculous that we are back here every six months, so hopefully it will be the last time. The Minister has committed to it.

Deputy Jim O'Callaghan: I did not guarantee it....

[Click here for the full debate on the Oireachtas website]