Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
486. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to outline progress on developing the night-time economy, including his views on reforming licensing laws; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73333/25]
View answerThe Night-Time Economy encompasses a broad range of social, cultural, and economic activities that occur between approximately 6pm and 6am. It involves a vast array of diverse stakeholders, all with different, sometimes competing, interests. The need to balance these diverse needs makes the policy area complex and dynamic.
My Department chairs the Night-Time Economy Implementation Group which is made up of key Government Departments, Agencies and Stakeholders. The Group meets regularly to receive updates, review progress and ensure the recommendations from the Night-Time Economy Taskforce Report are implemented and that the recommendations from the Report remains current.
The reform of the licensing laws is a matter for the Minister for Justice.
Separately, significant progress has been made by my Department across the actions in the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce, with some actions now completed. This year, I allocated €2.5 million towards the implementation of a range of measures to support the Night-Time Economy, which includes funding support for nine Night-Time Advisors in Dublin City, Cork City, Limerick City, Galway City, Kilkenny, Longford Town, Sligo Town, Drogheda and Buncrana, Co. Donegal. The Night-Time Economy pilots are a significant project within the Night-Time Economy policy area and arguably one of the most impactful.
My Department has also been supporting a number of actions in the Night-Time Economy Taskforce Report that specifically focus on broadening and diversifying the cultural aspect of the Night-Time Economy offering. These include:
• In March 2025, I launched the Grassroots Music Venue Support Scheme with an allocation of €500K to support small, independent established venues known for promoting grassroots musicians. The scheme was extremely popular, and 34 venues were awarded funding. I recently announced as part of Budget 2026 that I am allocating €1 million towards a second iteration of this scheme, a 100% increase on the 2025 allocation.
• Culture Night Late is designed to support events that begin after 9pm and continue late into the night on Culture Night. Since 2022, the Department has worked with the Arts Council to support well over seventy late night flagship events across the country. This funding support has provided opportunities for venues to work with new partners and encourage new audiences into our cultural facilities. In 2025, I provided €125K in funding to the Arts Council and €45k to the network of Night-Time Advisors to support events after 9pm on Culture Night. The initiative has been very successful with the majority of events exceeding audience targets in excess of 500.
• The Night Time Economy Unit partnered with Creative Ireland for a second year to provide additional funding (€100k) to Local Authorities to run later events for Cruinniú na nÓg, catering to an older cohort of 14 to 18-year-olds.
• Support was provided by my Department to the Dublin by Night Fest in November in Dublin city, which attracted more than 80,000 people to experience a diverse range of cultural offerings. The festival provides an opportunity for Dubliners and visitors to engage with the city in a positive, friendly atmosphere after dark and promotes the city as a safe place to go out and enjoy.
All of these initiatives are helping to strengthen our Night-Time Economy and aim to create a more diverse, inclusive and appealing Night Time Economy for all ages and backgrounds.
I will continue to work with the NTE Sector, our relevant Government Colleagues and Agencies to develop new opportunities within the Night-Time Economy.
