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The government “spoiled” the issue of reopening pubs by allowing foodies to operate while forcing alcohol-only pubs to remain closed, they told the Dáil.
The Chamber passed legislation empowering the gardaí to close pubs that violate public health guidelines by 126 votes to 12. Solidarity People rather than profit, three rural and three other independents opposed the bill.
Sinn Féin justice spokesman Martin Kenny described it as “a kind of abnormal legislation for abnormal times” but acknowledged that it “does what it says on the bottle.”
Kenny, whose party supports the legislation, said the real problem was the reopening of the other pubs.
“The government screwed this up a couple of months ago when they allowed some pubs to open because they serve food and others don’t.”
Mr Kenny said that “if that had been properly thought about, if it had been delayed a week or two and done well and allowed all pubs to open with a limited number (of patrons),” then all pubs could have opened.
He suggested that pub fire certificates could be used to establish how many people should be present because fire officials inspect the pub and indicate on the certificate the number that is safe to have on the premises.
The Sligo-Leitrim TD suggested that perhaps 35 percent of the normal number of people should be present and with all other measures in place, including recording the time people come in, their phone number, and the social distancing they all pubs could open.
Temporary closure
The criminal justice (enforcement powers) bill (Covid-19) allows gardaí to inspect the facilities and temporarily close them when there is a refusal to comply.
The legislation has an expiration clause that ends on November 9 and can only be extended subject to Dáil approval.
Independent TD Michael McNamara said that November 9 should be the final sunset clause of the legislation because at some point “we, as legislators, will have to trust the people” and we cannot continue to control the people through a coercive legislation.
He said that young people cannot meet in bars, nightclubs or other places and therefore meet where they should not. Mr. McNamara spoke of the “feeling of isolation, desolation and despair in rural towns and villages and warned that” we are destroying communities and causing incalculable harm to people’s health.
Earlier, independent TD Danny Healy-Rae claimed that Ireland was becoming “like dictatorships in Russia and elsewhere” because of the legislation.
He said it was “absolutely ridiculous” that “we are shoving this down the throats of people in rural Ireland.” Stating that 50 percent of Covid-19 cases are in or around Dublin, he also said that two-thirds of pubs in Dublin are open, while two-thirds in Kerry and the West are closed.
Mr. Healy-Rae added: “These people have done nothing wrong and we are suggesting that Gardaí in uniform or plain clothes can enter a premises.
“It doesn’t say if it is a private house in the country where people are terrified.”
The Kerry TD claimed that the bill is “opening the door to theft and chaos in rural Ireland. He said that “we are becoming like dictatorships in Russia and elsewhere in the world.
But Justice Minister Helen McEntee stressed that “there is absolutely nothing in this bill that somehow allows a member of An Garda Síochána to enter a house.”
Former Minister Richard Bruton previously said: “I think part of the interpretation of this legislation is very unfair to the drafters of the bill.”
He believed it was a “framework under which we can start opening pubs and lift some of the restrictions that have been very difficult to handle safely.”
He said he was being portrayed as a means of ensuring pubs stay closed when it’s “just the opposite.”
“I think that if we want to see the opening of stores that have been closed, we need to see the development of protocols that comply with the standards that will be applied by publicans and other sectors that have difficulties to reopen.”
The bill now goes to the Seanad.
guide
Also on Thursday, Taoiseach Michael Martin said a guide on the subject of reopening pubs is in the works.
“We would love to see not just the pubs open. . . we also want the crowds to come back, even if they are smaller, at sporting events. “
Martin said these issues will be part of the government’s new long-term roadmap for living alongside Covid 19.
He said the pub orientation “will be released shortly.”
At a private meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party on Wednesday night, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said that so-called “wet pubs” should be given a chance to reopen and demonstrate that they can operate safely. He said the state was an outlier in Europe in terms of reopening bars. He said that if there are certain rules, publicans should have the opportunity to reopen their doors.
When asked if the Tánaiste was undermining its authority by announcing to the Fine Gael parliamentary party that it wants pubs to reopen, Mr. Martin said that “the government acts collectively based on public health advice.”
Also speaking on the issue on Thursday, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the government was having strategic discussions on how the economy can deal with the pandemic, including the possible reopening of “wet bars” that don’t serve food.
He told RTÉ radio’s News at One that he was well aware that many small business owners, such as bars, could not reopen their businesses today. For now the regulations are very clear, he said.
“We are doing all of this in the interest of public health.”
North Ireland
Meanwhile, the Northern Executive, which met on Thursday, postponed any decision on when or whether Northern Ireland’s 600 “wet” pubs, which do not serve food, can open.
Deputy Prime Minister Michelle O’Neill hoped that the Executive, when it meets again next week, can provide an indicative date for the opening of such pubs.
“But I want to warn that by saying that very strong mitigations will be implemented, it will be very strict in terms of applying all of that,” he added.
With both Covid-19 and Brexit it was important to “walk very carefully in the winter months that lie ahead,” he said.
Ms O’Neill added that the Executive also agreed that Finance Minister Conor Murphy would write to the British Treasury requesting an extension of the license scheme beyond the end of October, despite the fact that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson , has discarded that extension.
“Thousands of people will be out of work and what we need as executives is to be able to support those people through what will be a very challenging winter,” O’Neill said.
“We are testing our argument to the treasury that this Executive needs support to be able to support the people and the licensing scheme is the way to do it,” he added.
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