How fitting it is that we are here today in the heatwave of summer 2026 discussing outdoor dining and socialising on this beautiful day and a beautiful week? Right across Ireland, people are enjoying a beverage outside in the sunshine. Good luck to them and God bless them. We had a long winter. I hope that every person enjoys the beautiful weather we are having. I supported this legislation last year, I will support it today and I will support it again in the future because outdoor seating and socialising is a good thing. We should support it. We should put it on a permanent footing and encourage every person to get out and enjoy a drink outside if possible. It is good for your health - vitamin D and so on. We should not roll over this legislation every six months or a year. It should put it on a permanent footing and ensure that publicans and the wider hospitality sector have the confidence to invest in these facilities. The pub trade is struggling massively. Over the last 20 years, thousands of pubs have closed. Last year, 360 pubs closed. Many of those were in rural Ireland. In many villages, the last remaining public building was a pub - there was no community centre or shop. We need to refocus. We should support rural pubs to stay alive to make sure every community has a hub.

Sentiment score: 0.38