The Government will consider bringing pub closing times back to 11.30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, a senior official at the Department of Justice has said.
Mr Séamus Carroll, principal officer at the Department in the Civil Law Division, was speaking at a conference on Action On Alcohol in Dublin yesterday organised by the Eastern Regional Health Authority.
The provision - in the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 2003 - bringing pubs' closing time back, from 12.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. on Thursday nights, came into force last night.
Mr Carroll said there would be a review of the implementation of provisions of the Act in the coming year.
"It is still possible that Friday and Saturday night closing will come back to 11.30 p.m.," he said. "There was opinion voiced from some quarters that bringing closing time back on Thursdays was not enough."
Mr Carroll said the Minister, Mr McDowell, was "reluctant" to extend the earlier closing time to the weekends, but that it would be discussed in the new year.
At the same conference the chairman of the ERHA, Mr Joe Doyle, called for the establishment of an Office of Alcohol Control, similar to the Office of Tobacco Control, to combat alcohol abuse.
"I would wish to see the same commitment made by the Minister [for Health, Mr Martin] in relation to alcohol, especially in relation to the damage it does to the drinker's own health. Perhaps he would consider setting up a body that would be responsible for alcohol control."
Calling on parents to examine their own habits before talking to their children about alcohol, he said it was "regrettable" that the pub was the focus for so many of even child-centred celebrations.
"Young people are now often taken by their parents to the pubs on their first holy communion or confirmation day, or on Sundays for a family lunch." He described this as "very sad".
"If your children see you abusing alcohol either in the pub or at home it will be very difficult to convince them to do differently."
Ms Louise Cadwell, co-ordinator of Drugs Initiatives with Catholic Youth Care, said there were insufficient resources in the communities to support families where there was a risk of young members abusing alcohol.
"It is very hard to help families when the resources, such as counsellors and social workers, are very overstretched. I personally find it very hard to believe that the issue of tackling alcohol abuse is taken seriously when the resources at community level aren't there."
The ERHA published its Alcohol Services - An Agenda For Action at yesterday's conference. It says the authority intends seeking additional resources from the Department of Health to implement its plans.
