Legislation allowing for later nightclub opening hours could be enacted by summer, Cabinet told

Legislation overhauling Ireland’s “antiquated” licensing laws and allowing for later nightclub opening hours is due to go to Cabinet next month and be enacted by summer 2024, under a plan outlined following a meeting of the Cabinet today.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has previously indicated her intention to replace laws which date back up to 200 years with the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2023.

An outline of the Bill was previously published, and an updated scheme will be published this month followed by full legislation next February, and enacted by next summer, a Government spokesman said today.

The Bill is to be split into two parts, with the first Bill proceeding on this timeline, with work on what measures are to be contained in each piece of legislation to be finalised soon. Ms McEntee has previously outlined that the Bill will make regular trading hours for pubs 10.30am to 12.30am seven days a week, as well as allowing nightclubs to remain open until 6am.

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Late bar opening times will remain unchanged at 2.30am.

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It is also intended that the legislation will put changes introduced to rules governing outdoor seating areas on a permanent footing. In the interim, Ms McEntee received Cabinet approval to extend the temporary measures for a further six months.

During the pandemic, the government introduced temporary measures that allowed for pubs and restaurants to serve alcohol in outdoor areas permitted on public land. The measures were intended to allow a greater level of outdoor socialising in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.

While they were originally put in place until the end of November 2021, they have been extended four times by the Oireachtas.

Elsewhere at Cabinet, Minister for Finance Michael McGrath presented Nama’s annual statement 2024 and its quarterly accounts to the end of this June. In the second quarter of the year, Nama generated €67 million in cash, with a further €47 million generated from the start of July to September 22nd this year.

The “bad bank”, which was set up to take toxic property loans off the balance sheet of Irish lenders following the financial crisis, has generated €47.6 billion over the course of its lifetime and is now projecting a lifetime surplus of €4.5 billion and projected total tax payments in the region of €4.9 billion.

Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan received Cabinet approval to request early signature by the President of legislation governing windfall taxes on energy companies. This legislation was split into two parts, with the second element - a cap on market revenues of some generators - now being proposed for early signature.

The Government said this will allow for the prompt collection of the revenues from the cap, with payments due by the end of January.