Danny Healy-Rae decries closures, welcomes outdoor dining legalisation
Danny Healy-Rae spoke on behalf of the people of Kerry about changes to laws on outside dining and drinking, welcoming the legalisation of outdoor service while sharply criticising the government's handling of hospitality reopenings. He warned the move risks legalising off-licences for public drinking and condemned what he called absent leadership that leaves small pubs and restaurants closed.
Outdoor dining legalisation welcomed
Danny Healy-Rae said he welcomed the bill to legalise outside dining and drinking because many publicans had invested in outdoor seating. He argued the previous legal ambiguity left operators exposed and recalled asking the minister in a parliamentary question last October about whether the law would be changed.
Concerns about off-licences and public drinking
He expressed concern that the change will effectively legalise off-licences to sell drinks for consumption in public places. He warned this will alter local hospitality dynamics and public behaviour in towns and villages.
Impact on small pubs and family businesses
Healy-Rae said small pubs, restaurants and cafes with generations of family ownership face indefinite closure and that many may never reopen. He described the damage to honest, hardworking people who have long supported charities and local life.
Criticism of leadership and regional divergence
He criticised the government’s handling of reopening, saying the minister had seemed absent and that public health officials were dictating policy. He noted people are travelling to the north for events while much of the 26 counties remains closed and cited a commentator suggesting reopenings may not occur until after October, calling the approach unfair to young people and hospitality owners.
Local reaction and consequences
Healy-Rae said many in Kerry and elsewhere feel the government is inept and not in control, and he warned prolonged closures will have lasting consequences for communities, tourism and multi-generation family businesses.
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Thank you very much, last call. I'm glad to get the opportunity to speak here on behalf of the people of Kerry. And again, I have to start off by saying that the government and the minister here behind the call, again, I mean, even with this bill now to legalise outside dining and drinking. And while I welcome that, it was wrong. And how do I say, even that the racist, when he was advising people to do this, that the law, that there was no law to ensure that what people were doing was not breaking the law. And I actually asked him in a parliamentary question last October what was going on, or was the law changed, or was the law going to be changed in relation to outside drinking? Because on our licence it says that the licence to sell beer and tobacco to be consumed on the premises. Nothing could be clearer than that. But he wasn't aware of that. And turned to the Guardian Galway, walking up that he decided to do this. And now what we're doing is we're voting to appoint judges as well. Why couldn't there be a separate bill just for this? So I welcome what so many popes have done. They have spent so much money, residents, to provide outdoor seating, and to provide whatever umbrellas they can, and that to keep people comfortable. And their vast money expended, and I'm glad that what they're doing now won't be treated as illegal, and that they'll be operating legally. However, I see that this is going to mean that off-licences are going to be legalised as well for selling drinks in public places, because that's what's happening. And at the same time, all the hospitality, the indoor hospitality, people will have to stay looking out the window, and can't leave anyone in. Small pubs, small restaurants, cafes that give great service back over the years, some of these going back generations, three or four generations, or five in families, whatever, providing this service. I can't understand where the government was at, or where was Minister Donnelly for the last number of weeks. He was clearly absent. He wasn't at the wheel. And it now seems that Tony Houlin and his outfit are running the country and dictating what must happen. Because in the north of Ireland, and there are several groups going up from, even Kerry, for stag parties and all different occasions, they're going up to the north of Ireland now. So what's different about the six counties? We won't go to Europe at all. All the rest of Europe and the world is open, but the 26 counties won't be open. And according to George Lee, we won't be left open until certainly after October. And you're asking the Winters today to give you a plan. Well, what good is asking of nobody if the decision made? If your decision made yesterday to keep us closed and to keep the small hospitality services closed indefinitely. And that's very, very wrong. And young people, the suggestion that they have to be vaccinated and no vaccines to be got, you're very unfair, Minister, and very, very unfair. People that own pubs and restaurants for generations and cafes, they have their heads down today and they're disappointed. And I can tell you that a lot of people around the country are in the same vein and thinking the same way. They feel the government is inept and that they're not at the wheel at all and not in charge of things. And I have to say that I agree with them because this is a disaster to do this to honest, hardworking people that were the pillars of society that gave to charities and gave to whatever sponsorships that they could back over the years. I'm even totally left down. And many of them, the longer he'll keep them closed and it looks like you're going to keep them closed for a long time, that's the more of them that will never again reopen. And it's a sad day for people in Scotland, Glen and Guinea, Glen and Cora, all those fine places and back around Sniem and Dini, Tavel and in places, all those places to leave them closed and go into some other ones. Thank you, Dr. Michael. Dr. Michael McGrath. Dr. Michael McGrath. Dr. Michael McGrath. Dr. Michael McGrath.
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