Proposal to ban the consumption of alcohol in parks and on streets because of the growing problem of public drunkenness.
Dublin by-laws state it is illegal to be under the influence of alcohol or be drunk in a public place, and it is also illegal for people under the age of eighteen to drink in a public place. It is not however against the law for people over the age of eighteen to drink in public places.
Last night a motion calling for the strict implementation of and enforcement of laws relating to public alcohol consumption was passed by Dublin City Councillors.
Fine Gael Councillor Peter Burke who backed the motion says that the law needs to be enforced in a more stringent fashion. Irish people may be used to seeing people under the influence of alcohol in public places, but this does not mean that it is acceptable,
We as a people don't complain enough when we see misbehaviour in parks.
What about the other people who drink in public, for example those who have a glass of wine with a picnic or a drink at a football match? The issue here is that of drunken people remaining in public areas, says Peter Burke who wants to seen the law enforced and if necessary new by-laws introduced.
The groups at street corners who I refer to as a moving party, the Gardaí will move them from one corner to the next.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 22 January 1991. The reporter is Bob Powell.
