With "winter-time" pub closing of 11 p.m. starting on Monday, the Labour Party has criticised the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, for failing to reform the licensing laws, writes Kevin Rafter.
The Labour deputy leader, Mr Brendan Howlin, said: "For another year, publicans and their customers have to endure the absurdity of winter-time closing". This "ridiculous situation is solely due to the fact that the Minister had neither the political will nor the courage to undertake a root-andbranch reform of our arcane licensing laws".
An Oireachtas committee has already published proposals to change the law while the Labour Party published legislation over 18 months ago which the Government rejected .