‘Superpubs’ have been branded by the Minister for Justice as an "undesirable consequence" of restrictions on granting new liquor licences.
Mr McDowell said large drinking establishments, encouraged by restrictions on the number of licences granted, "create noise and nuisance for local residents and make controls on underage drinking more difficult to enforce". ‘Superpubs’ also increase the risk of public disorder as large numbers of people spill out onto the streets at closing time.
The Minister said he would like to reform the licensing system to encourage a return to smaller pubs serving local communities. This would mean removing the restriction where an existing licence or licences must be extinguished before a new licence can be granted.
Outlining the recommendations of the second interim report of the Commission on Liquor Licensing, Mr McDowell said reforms in the licensing system could help reduce ‘binge drinking’, and change drinking habits.
The Minister said he intended to begin preparatory work on a new codification of the liquor licensing code which would embody the Commission’s recommendations.
"I believe that the time has come to face up to the reality that the adverse effects of alcohol abuse are now widespread throughout Irish society," he said.
He said excessive consumption has lead to a rise in domestic violence, assaults, car accidents and fatalities, and public order offences.
The Minister expressed particular concern about the rise in public drunkenness among teenagers and called on licence holders to enforce the ‘age card scheme’. He rejected criticisms that the €6 charge for the age card acted as a deterrent.
The interim report also recommended that museums and other interpretative centres should serve alcohol during opening hours to enhance the tourist centre facilities. Regional tourism authorities and SFACCO should be responsible for issuing and regulating a new type of non-transferable licence to interpretative centres.
Legislation should be introduced to allow pub owners and other licensees to decide on whether to allow children on their premises, the report said. It recommended in cases where children were admitted licensees should be able to ask people accompanied by children to leave if they have been on the premises for an "excessively long period".
An advertising campaign dealing with the dangers of excessive drinking should be launched and targeted at young people in particular, the report said.