I thank the Minister of State. It is disappointing that we are back here again debating the extensions of these provisions. The motion seeks to extend the provision for the consumption of alcohol in relevant outdoor spaces, as provided for in the miscellaneous provisions Act 2021. As the Minister of State said, the current arrangements are due to expire at the end of this month and the motion would extend them for a period of six months. I want to be very clear. Sinn Féin supports the extension of the provisions but we believe very strongly that it is past time that we regularise these positions and not have a situation whereby the Dáil has to debate them every six months. Years after the Covid pandemic, when the measure was first introduced, the Government is still operating under emergency legislation when it should have regularised the position of outdoor seating areas on a permanent basis long before now. This is to be done by the criminal law and civil law (miscellaneous provisions) Bill 2025, on which the Joint Committee on Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has already completed pre-legislative scrutiny. We have been critical of the approach of the Minister, which has included a wide range of unrelated, diverse and, in themselves, important matters in a miscellaneous Bill. Therein lies the reason for the delays we have experienced. The approach of the Department has limited the scrutiny of individual changes but also means delays in what should be straightforward issues such as these when they are embedded in complex miscellaneous laws. Miscellaneous Bills should be used for limited and technical changes rather than a large range of complex issues which results in far too little time for scrutiny of individual measures and will invariably lead to flaws in legislation. The issue of outdoor seating is largely non-contentious. It should have been dealt with by way of a simple, straightforward Bill, which would take less time in terms of Dáil business than the situation we are in of having to renew these provisions twice a year. The provisions are good for the hospitality sector and that is why Sinn Féin will support the motion. However, we need a wider debate, which I hope the Minister of State will take on board, about how we can make villages, towns and cities better places to live in, work and visit and how to support a vibrant hospitality sector. It is clear to me we need a strategy for the rejuvenation of rural towns and villages that includes investment in public spaces, tackling dereliction and ensuring proper services and amenities. I have referenced in this House the situation in my home town of Carrickmacross and many towns like it that are desperately trying to revitalise their traditional town centre. It appears that rather than supports being put in place, the Government has put obstacles in the way. Carrickmacross, and every regional town across Cavan, Monaghan and further afield, wants measures to support businesses that will bring vibrancy and commercial activity back to our urban centres. Instead of that, we are seeing towns struggling. Businesses are struggling with the high cost of insurance and energy. The cost-of-living crisis is impacting on the money people have to spend in their local shops, cafés and restaurants. The most recent budget only made the situation worse. I commend Monaghan County Council on its initiative of a rates waiver for new commercial businesses operating within town centres. I encourage other local authorities to follow suit. We need a particular set of schemes that support existing commercial activities and ensure we keep the heartbeat of our towns going. On the one hand, we have closures of existing businesses that just needed a little support and a bit of a break to be able to maintain operations. On the other hand, we see a proliferation of other types of shops, particularly vape and mobile telephone shops. There is a need for some of those but not for the numbers we are seeing. I have raised directly with Revenue my concerns around the proliferation of vape and mobile telephone repair shops. They are countering what we need, which is a proper mix of retail, commercial and leisure-based activities and businesses in town centres. For that to happen, we need a level playing field in terms of compliance with the many rules and regulations in place. There are questions about how so many of these types of premises are operating so close together. Are they operating on the same basis as every other business? I welcome that having written to Revenue in this regard, it has indicated there is increased activity in relation to the compliance of these types of businesses to ensure that everybody trying to run a shop, pub, restaurant or other business is playing on a level field. Across our towns, we want legitimate, vibrant and innovative local businesses that create employment and bring increased footfall to town centres. Outdoor dining and socialising are part of protecting the vitality of the hospitality sector. We must do more than that. We need proper focus and debate in this House about how we can invest in and develop our rural towns and villages and support businesses and entrepreneurs trying to bring employment back to these areas. We will support the motion but we urge the Government to get its act together and bring forward the comprehensive legislation that will put these measures on a formalised and regularised basis.

Sentiment score: 0.16