The proposed new rules will deliver an extra hour of trade to bars and nightclubs almost every Friday and Saturday evening of the year and finally remove all restrictions on Easter trading across the country.

Despite the continuing closure of the hospitality trade here due to surging rates of Covid-19 infection, the new legislation, if it is passed into law, would modernise much of Northern Ireland’s antiquated and unpopular liquor licensing regulation.

Supermarkets will also become subject to new curbs on in-store advertising and the previously voluntary code of practice around drinks promotions would be replaced by a set of legal requirements.

Communities Minister, Caral Ni Chuilin said that the Bill struck the right balance between support for the hospitality sector and local communities by ensuring that the sale of alcohol was controlled.

And welcoming the new Bill, SDLP MLA, Mark H Durkan, said: ‘The local hospitality industry supports thousands of jobs, contributes £1.2bn every year to our economy and is a key cornerstone of our growing tourism industry.’

However, he also expressed disappointment that the proposed legislation would not offer any help to local craft brewers who re currently forbidden from offering their own products for sale on their own premises. A similar, colonial-era law in the Republic was done away with last year.

‘It is incredible that these businesses, which are leading the charge on sustainability and innovation in the sector, are still prevented from selling their products on site,’ he added. ‘We are tying one hand behind their backs.’

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The new legislation, which had been set to be discussed prior to the collapse of the Assembly in January 2017, brings about a series of longed-for changes laws around the sale and consumption of alcohol.

Among an extensive series of proposed new measures will be a scrapping of the restrictions around Easter trading in licensed premises; additional opening hours for certain types of vnue, including small pubs and restrictions on the advertising of alcohol by supermarkets and off-licences.

A full explanation of the changes can be found here.

Hospitality Ulster, which has long campaigned for modernisation of NI’s archaic drinks legislation, has welcomed the introduction of the changes and expressed a hope that there will be ‘swift passage’ for the Bill to the committee stages.

‘After years of lobbying for a much needed change, this Bill is even more timely and crucial due to the impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality sector,’ Colin Neill said yesterday. ‘Despite the pain currently being faced by hospitality businesses, we are hopeful that this new legislation will have a positive impact on trading next Easter and beyond.”

‘Prior to Covid-19, despite contributing £2bn a year to the Northern Ireland economy and [being] the backbone of the tourism offer, the growth potential of the hospitality sector was being curtailed by the outdated legislation. As we look to bounce back and rebuild the hospitality sector here, it is imperative that businesses have all the tools necessary to thrive. Despite the undoubted challenges ahead, this Bill will be a welcome boost for hospitality businesses right across Northern Ireland.’

Introducing the Bill to the Assembly on behalf of Caral Ni Chuilin, who is self-isolating, Finance Minister, Conor Murphy, said that he hoped that it would give the trade reassurance that the Executive was focused on modernisation of the industry.

‘This Bill has attempted to strike a balance between recognising the role licensed premises have in their local community as places to socialise and as providers of employment, alongside ensuring protections are in place to help tackle the harms that alcohol can cause in our society,’ he added.

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Officials want to hear the views of stakeholders and the public on the current laws around liquor licensing here; how they are impacted and the changes they believe need to be mad to ensure a more flexible licensing framework.

Launching the long-awaited consultation recently, DfC permanent secretary, Tracy Meharg acknowledged the £1.2bn contribution which the trade makes to the economy in Northern Ireland and indicated that the department was committed to assisting it to support tourism where possible.

She also said, however:

‘It is vitally important, however, that we protect the public from alcohol-related harm. In Northern Ireland, 303 deaths due to alcohol were recorded in 2017. There has been a 15 per cent increase in hospital admissions wholly related to alcohol and 43.3 per cent of the general public report they are concerned about alcohol-related issues in their local area. This shows that any future changes to the law must be balanced with the need for regulation in the public interest.’

NI’s antiquated licensing laws were last up for consultation in May during a controversial attempt by the department to introduce a ‘special event’ variation prior to the arrival of The Open golf tournament at Portrush.

Welcoming the move, Hospitality Ulster’s Colin Neill warned, however, that ‘we have been here several times before’

‘It was not so long ago that a Bill to reform our outdated licensing laws had already been introduced to the last Assembly, prior to its collapse, with much of the heavy lifting in terms of drafting already carried out,’ he added,

‘By re-consulting it may feel like we are back to square one, but with the last consultation now seven years old, it is vital that this is updated and ready for action once we have a government, allowing them to move forward swiftly and decisively, and address the outdated law as it currently sits.’

The new consultation has also been welcomed consumer group, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), which took the opportunity to repeat its demand for local brewers and cider-makers to be able to serve their products in taprooms and shops on their premises, run brewery tours and sell at local events and markets.

Many local consumers don’t realise that local producers currently don’t have these entitlements because of colonial-era laws. Their counterparts in the RoI do, however, after the Irish government repealed the old British laws earlier this year

CAMRA’s NI chair, Ruth Sloan, said NI’s outdated laws mean that businesses, pub-goers and tourists are at more of a disadvantage here than anywhere else in the British Isles.

‘This consultation is a chance to bring alcohol laws into the 21^st century, to allow local brewing and pub businesses to expand and thrive, as well as make sure that residents and tourists alike can get access to tasty, locally-produced brews.

‘We need to give pubs more flexibility over things like opening hours and the types of beer they sell, as well as recognise their important as community assets, helping tackle loneliness and support reasonable drinking.’

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