The Government is ‘scapegoating’ Irish pubs in the fight against COVID-19, according to a group of rural TDs.

It comes as the Dáil prepares to debate new legislation handing Gardaí powers to immediately shut down pubs found to be breaching public health guidelines.

Speaking on the Plinth at Leinster House this afternoon, members of the Rural Independent Group said the proposals are a “massive overreach by the Government.”

Kerry TD Michael Healy Rae said Gardaí do not have the resources to police public health guidelines.

“The Gardaí don’t want the extra responsibility and burden being put on them quite simply because our hardworking members of An Garda Síochána have enough to be doing than to be running around seeing how long a person is inside in a public house or seeing how long they are sitting down having a bite to eat and all of that,” he said.

“If you want to ensure the public health of the people of Ireland, the right thing to do is to let every publican open their houses and open them right now.

“The reason for that is, if the pubs are opened up, it will spread the people out more and reduce the chance of infection.”

Deputy Healy Rae, who runs a pub in Killorglin, said public health officials and NPHET do not have a “monopoly on being right” and warned that politicians must hold them to account.

“The one thing we have seen since this pandemic is that we are all supposed to take everything that is being thrown at us blindly and agree with it,” he said.

“But sometimes people have to stand up and say, ‘hold on, I don’t agree with this. I don’t think it is right.’”

Independent TD Mattie McGrath arriving at Leinister House in February 2020. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Earlier, Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath said the ‘draconian’ new powers will simply lead to further pub closures.

“Gardaí don’t want these extra powers. They are uneasy and unhappy about them and there was no consultation,” he said.

“It is just scapegoating the publicans of Ireland unfairly and unequally.”

The country’s 3,500 ‘dry’ pubs have now been closed for more than six months after the Government postponed reopening three times.

Garda powers

On The Pat Kenny Show earlier, the Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said it was ‘reasonable' to think the new garda powers could actually allow them to reopen.

He warned that some of the pubs that opened already are flouting public health guidelines.

“There are a small number of pubs that are not complying and, in some cases, I would argue they are flouting the guidelines quite openly,” he said.

“That, quite frankly is not fair on the vast majority of publicans that are doing the right thing.”

Roadmap

Meanwhile, the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland is calling for a roadmap for the reopening of the 3,500 pubs that remain closed around the country to be published urgently.

It said a clear plan would bring certainty to publicans and comfort to local communities affected by pub closures.

The group is also calling for 15% cut to the excise tax on alcohol in the upcoming budget.