The Labour Party has called on the Government to insist that concert-organisers desist from imposing "booking charges" on tickets before allowing such events on State land.
In a statement yesterday, on the eve of the Robbie Williams concert in Dublin's Phoenix Park, the party's consumer affairs spokeswoman, Ms Kathleen Lynch, asked whether any such conditions had been imposed on the licence for the concert by the Office of Public Works.
An OPW spokesman said it was the Department of the Environment which had issued the licence. A spokesman for the Department said 17 conditions had been imposed, but none of these related to ticket prices.
They covered noise levels, the repair of any damage to the park, the provision of facilities and the fee for its use. The fee was not being disclosed as it was commercially sensitive, according to the spokesman. But it was somewhat higher than would be imposed by other venues such as Croke Park or the RDS.
However, Ms Lynch said that where licences were issued in future to private promoters for such concerts, conditions should be written into the licence to prevent exploitation of concertgoers, especially in regard to booking and service charges for tickets.
"I am not at all opposed to the use of venues like the Phoenix Park for concerts or other public events. Indeed, in many respects, they provide safe, easily accessible locations for such events.
"However, where the State provides a public facility for such use, then it has an obligation to see that the public are not financially bled to death," she said.