I am grateful to my colleague, Deputy Woods, for sharing his time with me. I compliment the Minister on introducing this timely legislation which has been described as minimalist. It is clear, however, that the Minister has given much thought to the matter and she mentioned that she took the needs of shoppers and families into consideration in its preparation. I was impressed and commend her for it.
The abuse and overuse of alcohol can, as many speakers have said, lead to misery and tragedy. That message must be emphasised by Members from every available forum at all times. The Minister mentioned that Garda enforcement of the drink driving laws, particularly over the Christmas period, would obtain. That is to be welcomed and commended.
The Minister was praised for her pragmatic approach to this legislation. I agree but we must be equally pragmatic in our approach to drinking and to the drinking industry. As Deputy O'Donnell stated earlier, that industry has major implications for our economy. It was suggested by my good friend and colleague. Deputy O'Donoghue, that closing time on Christmas Eve should be at 10 p.m. I do not disagree with my colleague very often, but on this occasion I am diametrically opposed to his suggestion, which would be a retrograde step. In tourism terms our licensing laws are regarded as overly restrictive by our colleagues in Europe. A move to change closing time on Christmas Eve to 10 p.m. would have the effect of bringing us back to the Dark Ages in tourism terms.
Our drinking public has become very resourceful and I speak from experience of all sides on that subject. This Minister and previous Ministers for Justice prevailed upon the drinking public to be more responsible and enforced licensing laws by way of legislation and intense Garda activity. That has encouraged people to be more resourceful. For example, at Christmas time one member of a group may not drink alcohol or a taxi may be provided to bring people home. That is evidence of people's resourcefulness and responsibility. I am strongly of the view that we should not go down the road of introducing further restrictions in this area.
Regarding the equal status Bill to which my colleague, Deputy Woods, referred, time does not permit me to deal with it in satisfactory detail. I take Deputy Upton's point that the Bill is not published, but its vibes have given rise to deep concern not only to publicans or those in the licensed trade, but to the butcher, the banker and the candlestick maker. Many aspects of the forthcoming legislation are welcome, commendable and essential, but the suggestion that there may be an interference with the right to refuse to serve a member of the public is unacceptable, undesirable and unworkable and must be removed. The best way to do that is to remove the provision prior to the introduction of the legislation. That aspect of the legislation should be seriously examined and in the context of the detail expressed by my colleague, Deputy Woods. I am sure we will all have an opportunity to discuss this matter when the Bill is introduced and I hope when it is introduced it will be conspicuous by the absence of a provision in that regard.
I compliment the Minister for introducing this pragmatic and timely legislation.