I was interested to hear recently the Chairman of my local Vintners Federation blame drugs for anti-social behaviour on the streets of major towns such as TRalee.

It is not safe anymore to walk the streets of Tralee, or any other major town or city after 11 pm at night.

I used to go to the late night show in the cinema on a Saturday night, but now I don't because it is not safe to be on the streets of town after midnight.

Every week you read the papers and see people before the courts on anti-social behaviour charges. A lot of this is drink-related. At the start of the year, Judge James O'Connor, our local District Judge, decide to bring closing time in late bars and night clubs forward a half an hour from 2.30 am to 2 am.

While it has worked, it has not cleared up the problem. Yet, when the judge decided this was going to be the case, the local publicans were up in arms against the decision.

Publicans should be made responsible for what goes on inside and outside their premises.

Furthermore, publicans are getting away with breaking the licencing laws, which it seems to me, are not being implemented by the gardai.

I would propose heavy fines and new licencing laws.

The new licencing laws could operate like this.

Monday-Friday pubs open at 11 am and close no later than 12.30 am.

On Friday and Saturday nights, this can be extended to 1am. These licencing laws would apply for 12 months of the year.

Furthermore, publicans who are applying for new licences should enter into a good behaviour contract with Gardai. They can be given a provisional licence, lasting 18 months. If they come to the attention of the Gardai during that probation period for an after hours offence, they do not get the licence, even on appeal.

Secondly I would change the way family owned pubs are run. In future, family owned pubs will be given licences for 10 years. Like the new publicans who are going into the trade for the firt time, tehy too will be bound by their contract. If they come to the attention of the Gardai during that time, the gardai can object to their licence.

If the Gardai can close publicans down for serving drink to teenagers, and rightly so, surely they can get publicans who persistently abuse the licence lawss closed down.