The committee will this afternoon begin pre-legislative scrutiny on the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2022, which will bring Ireland’s patchwork of more than 100 licensing laws, some dating as far back as 200 years ago, together in “one modern piece of legislation”.

The provisions of the bill will include moving responsibility for licensing from the Circuit Court to the District Court.

Representatives from the Licensed Vintners Association, Give Us The Night, the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland, Independent Craft Brewers of Ireland, the Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland and the Department of Justice will give evidence to the committee today.

Committee cathaoirleach James Lawless TD said: “Our first public meeting back after the recess will see the committee meet for scrutiny on the Sale of Alcohol Bill 2022 which was unveiled by Minister Helen McEntee TD in October last year.

“The bill will lead to the creation of a single piece of modern legislation to regulate the sale of alcohol. The bill represents an effort to strike a balance between maintaining the current approach to licensing the sale of alcohol, whilst simultaneously supporting the night-time culture and the wider economy around hospitality.

“As cathaoirleach of this justice committee, with this legislation our aim is to ensure that the Irish licensing system meets the needs of modern society and brings Irish night-time culture into step with modern European cities.

“The diversity of the stakeholders attending this first public meeting on the bill demonstrates how this affects a broad range of people and our committee looks forward to hearing from all involved.”

The meeting will take place in Committee Room 1 of Leinster House at 3pm. The meeting can be viewed live on Oireachtas TV or via the Houses of the Oireachtas smartphone app available for Apple and Android devices.