I will not detain the House very long. Before the Adjournment I was making the point that the intoxicating liquor aspect of this Bill belongs to my colleague, the Minister of State, and I was speaking in order to advance the cause of the National Concert Hall for which this licence is being provided. It would not do to give the impression that we were advocating the value of drink as such, but there are certain times when drink in moderation can complement an evening. Deputy Kelly drew on the authority of, as he said, a great Irishman, Myles na gCopalleen, to augment him in making that statement. I can now draw on the authority of Myles na gCopalleen and Deputy Kelly for that idea. Certainly there are very few places more appropriate than the NCH. The bars are there at the moment. You can drink in the outer one in the foyer which is dedicated to the memory of John Count McCormack with a permanent display there of memorabilia of this great tenor. If you prefer to be more discreet and go to the inner foyer you can drink in the John Field Room, dedicated last year on the bicentennial of that great Irish composer. They are very amenable surroundings.
The time constraint laid down in the Bill as outlined by the Minister of State, that is 30 minutes before the commencement of a function to one hour after the ending of the function, is a guarantee in all respects. The NCH is a relatively new centre of which we can all be proud. The management, the National Concert Hall Company, have done an excellent job, as was pointed out earlier in the debate, not least in the manner in which they have attracted people to that new prestige centre — 75 per cent occupancy of seats in any such centre is a very notable achievement considering that on occasions very frequently because of its very nature some of the presentations there cater for a minority interest. The board are to be congratulated on that achievement.
Another idea that has surfaced to a certain extent is the sponsorship of various events by commercial firms. I am very keen on this. The inability to realise their potential through the lack of funds has been a tragedy of many excellent groups and bodies in the artistic field. By their definition Government funds, particularly at this time, are limited while artistic efforts worthy of support are foundering and the allocation of available resources is extremely difficult. I am glad that commercial interests are going into sponsorship. I have seen a number of them recently in the NCH which is an ideal venue for such sponsorship.
The National Concert Hall Company, their chairman and directors, must be congratulated for their achievements in the relatively short life of this centre. The hall fulfilled a very badly needed want in the country in beautiful surroundings. The business and commercial acumen of the people running it are to be commended. It is gratifying to see a centre of this nature breaking even or getting as near to that as possible.
As I said earlier, one of the most encouraging sights as far as entertainment in Dublin is concerned is the queues very frequently spilling over into the adjoining streets, reminiscent of what used to be the case at many entertainment centres in Dublin. I believe that the Intoxicating Liquor (National Concert Hall) Bill will provide, totally legitimately, the necessary licence for the concert hall and will embellish the entertainment presented there.
Finally, as I said earlier when the Leas-Cheann Comhairle was in the Chair, I recommend to you, Sir, and to all Members of the House to visit there frequently. I believe that anyone who visits there will have a very satisfactory evening. I have great pleasure in supporting the Bill.