Donal O'Keefe

Good evening, Matt.

Yes, we surveyed 510 consumers in conjunction with the research agency Red Sea.

It came back with overwhelming support for later trading in our capital city.

Three out of four people, I believe, have offered their support for a nightclub license that will go to 4.30 a.m.

That rises to eight out of 10.

for customers aged between 18 and 34 and we think it's really important now that the government delivers what it has contained in the programme for government in the sale of alcohol bill and provides for later trading in our capital city.

Well, essentially, Matt, every pub in Ireland at the weekends has the option to trade to 12.30 a.m.

And then if the business is large enough and can support it and can find customers for it, they can apply for a special exemption order, which gives an additional two extra hours on a weekend night.

So 12.30 a.m.

becomes 2.30 a.m.

And the bulk of late bars in Dublin and across the country and nightclubs all operate on the basis of that.

The special exemption order is ferociously expensive, €205 per night, so €32,000 a year for three nights a year.

It's an insane amount of money.

And, you know, the two big benefits contained in the Senate alcohol bill is that they include an annual late bar permit.

So you get one license every September to do you for the year.

And it provides for a new nightclub permit that would allow

Nightclubs go a number of hours later.

We think the closing time should be 4.30 and that gives a sequence that traditional bars close at 12.30 a.m., late bars at 2.30 a.m.

and nightclubs at 4.30 a.m.

We think that, you know, because there is correctly, which we support a high degree of conditions around nightclub permits, that there'll be a relatively small number of nightclubs and there will be a big onus on them to manage that late business properly.