The Government is prepared to accept a "sensible compromise" to cope with difficulties caused by the 9 p.m. ban on children in public houses, the Taoiseach has indicated.
This follows complaints from publicans and holidaying families.
However, Mr Ahern, speaking in west Cork yesterday, made clear that debate within the Government was still continuing, and no final decisions have been reached.
Questioned about speculation that the ban would be relaxed until 10 p.m. during June, July and August, Mr Ahern hinted that he saw problems with such an approach. Following a meeting in Cork city earlier with the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, he said: "I think we have said previously that we are prepared to look at pragmatic resolutions as to how we can move on this.
"I don't think that there is any simple one. In fairness, the vintners are not putting forward any simple one. It is an effort to see if there is some sensible compromise that we can find.
"If you say that it is just about holidays, do you say in Dingle in July that it is not nine o'clock, but that if you decide to go to Drumcondra at nine o'clock in November that it is?
"We have to try and find a sensible approach. We are not in the business of trying to invite or entice young people into pubs at night. That is not what we are trying to do.
"At the same time we are not in the business of trying to discommode parents who are looking after their children on holidays in summertime."
Acknowledging the difficulties faced by foreign tourists, he said a Dingle hotelier had last year pointed out to him a Spanish family who had come looking for food at 10 p.m. "having been in bed for four hours".
"He said: 'What'll I tell them? In Spain that is what they do.' What is he to do? Tell them to go back to bed? Listen, we have to be sensible here. Laws have to be workable," the Taoiseach told journalists.
The changes brought in by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, bar under-18s from bars after 9 p.m. unless "a sizeable meal" is being served at a private function. However, Mr Ahern said "a sizeable meal for me" is not "a sizeable meal" for someone else. "How do you determine that?"
