The proposed reforms by Minister Helen McEntee have been examined by the Oireachtas Justice Committee.

There are recommendations to space out and prolong late bars' and nightclubs' opening hours.

Fianna Fáil TD James Lawless, the committee's head, questioned if there would be support when the planned legislation for the nighttime economy is tabled.

He questioned on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, “Is it give us the drink or is it give us the night?”

“It's not always about the beverage. Therein lies the crux of the matter, he stated.

“We want to help the evening economy, but not while sipping on a drink.”

Ireland ranks in the top 10 countries in the world for binge drinking, according to Mr. Lawless. “We drink like northern Europeans, but we want to party like southern Europeans,” he said.

He stated that for deregulation to occur, an ecosystem comprising public transit and public health initiatives needed to be put in place.

Mr. Lawless expressed his approval of the efforts to simplify licencing rules.

He acknowledged the necessity to update such laws but said that “we need to mature our attitude around alcohol.” It is quite high—one in ten persons in this country suffer from an alcohol consumption problem.

“We really need to square that circle because we have a drinking culture like northern Europeans, but we want to party like southern Europeans.”