Govt to allow Good Friday alcohol sales
The Good Friday ban on alcohol sales looks set to be lifted, but not until next year.
It has been reported the Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald will not oppose a bill put forward by a group of Independent Senators, that proposes an end to the 90-year-old restriction.
“The decision at this point is to not oppose the [Seanad] Bill, hear the arguments and consider it under in the Sale of Alcohol Bill,” a source said.
The Irish Times reports that the lifting of the ban could be incorporated into the Government's Sale of Alcohol Bill, which is due before the Dáil later this year.
The Intoxicating Liquor (Amendment) Bill 2017 is aimed mainly at pubs, whereas the Government legislation will probably be broader.
The Sale of Alcohol Bill will replace laws regulating the “sale, supply and consumption” of alcohol with “streamlined and updated provisions more suited to modern conditions”.
