Sale and Price Issues
Prices
Orders have been made from time to time under the Prices Acts, requiring pricelists for food and alcohol/beverages to be provided and displayed in licensed premises. The legislation generally requires the display at entrances and within the premises. The breach is subject to summary conviction to a class A fine.
The legislation allows for payment at the point of delivery, provided that the recipient may lawfully purchase alcohol. The RRAI code of practice prohibits pay-on-delivery sales for its members. It is not permitted for a person to evade licence conditions by taking it from the premises or permitting it to be taken from the premises for the purpose of sale on behalf of the licensee.
Reduced Price
A licensee shall not supply intoxicating liquor on the premises at a reduced price. A licensee shall not supply intoxicating liquor at a reduced price during a limited period on any day. This a supply which is less than that regularly been charged during an earlier period after 10:30 a.m. (12:30 p.m. on a Sunday). Breach is an offence subject to a fine of €1,500 on a first conviction and €2,000  on a subsequent conviction.
The  purpose of sale and supply of intoxicating liquor at reduced price or free of price includes
the award directly or indirectly of any bonus points, loyalty card points or  similar benefit to any person arising from the purchase by that person of any intoxicating liquor
the use of any such points or benefit of others directly or indirectly to obtain intoxicating liquor or any other product or service at a reduced price or free of charge and the use, whether directly or indirectly, of bonus points, royalty cards, or similar benefits arising from the purchase of any product or service to obtain intoxicating liquor at a reduced price are free of charge.
The above provision also applies to registered clubs.
Advertising
The Minister may make regulations prohibiting or restricting persons from advertising or promoting the sale and supply of intoxicating liquor at a reduced price free of charge on the purchase of any quantity of liquor or any other product or service. They may prohibit or restrict the licensee from selling or supplying intoxicating liquor at a reduced price or free of charge to any person on the purchase by that person or by any other person of any quantity of intoxicating liquor or other product or service.
They may prohibit or restrict persons from doing or permitting for the purpose of promoting the business any event or activity taking place in a place other than that used as an occupied or private residence. It may prohibit or restrict anything that is intended or likely to encourage persons from that place to consume intoxicating liquor to an excessive amount.
It is not unlawful for the holder of licensed premises to allow a person under 18 on the licensed premises or part of it when intoxicating liquor is not being sold or consumed, and physical access to intoxicating liquor is securely prevented. In the above circumstances, it is not unlawful to allow the person who does not have an age document to be on the premises. There are similar exemptions for related offences.
Regulations
In making regulations, the Minister is to have regard to
- the need to reduce the consumption of intoxicating liquor to an excessive extent, in particular, the need to produce the risk of a threat to  public order arising from the consumption of intoxicating liquor
- the health-related risks arising from its consumption to an excessive extent
In the case of advertising where the medium or the nature of the advertising is such as to be likely to encourage consumption of liquor to an excessive extent
The regulations may apply by reference to one or more classes of licensed premises, non-licensed premises, intoxicating liquor or advertising. A person who contravenes regulations is guilty of an offence. He is subject to summary conviction to a fine up to €5,000 on a first offence, on conviction on an indictment fine up to €100,000.
Underage On Premises
Metrology
Metrology legislation defines the use of measures for the purpose of sale. See separately the section in relation to stamping and verification of measures.
The Legal Metrology Act prohibits sale or exposure for sales in any measure or quantity other than that comprising the quantity indicated for the price indicated or the price per unit. The breach is an offence subject to summary conviction to a class B fine.
Notice
The holder of a licence or the secretary of a registered club must display a conspicuous notice containing a statement of offences provided for in the Act. The form is prescribed by regulation. Failure to do so is an offence.
Supply to Drunk Person
A licence shall not supply or permit to supply intoxicating liquor to a drunken person or to any person for consumption by a drunken person. He shall not permit a drunken person to consume intoxicating liquor. He shall not permit drunkenness to take place at the bar or admit a drunken person to the bar.
A drunken person is defined as a person who is intoxicated to such extent as would give rise to a reasonable apprehension that the person might endanger himself or any other person. Drunkenness is interpreted accordingly.
Contravention is subjected on a first offence to a fine of €3,000 and €5,000 euro on second and subsequent offences. A person who is drunk on leaving a premises is presumed to have been drunk while on the premises. It is a defence to prove that the licensee took reasonable steps to prevent drunkenness from taking place.
There are offences on the part of non-licensed persons. A non-licensed person shall not purchase intoxicating liquor for supply or consumption or supply intoxicating liquor to drunken premises on licensed premises. The fine levels are as above.
A drunken person shall leave licensed premises on being requested to do so by the licensee or a member from Garda Siochana. He shall not seek entry to the bar of a licensed premises. The breach is subject to summary conviction to a fine of €300 for a first conviction and €500 on a second and subsequent conviction. The member of a Garda Siochana may arrest without warrant a person committing an offence under the section or suspected with reasonable cause of committing an offence.
The Minister may make regulations prohibiting or restricting a licensee from doing or permitting, for the purpose of promoting his business, any event or activity or anything which is intended or likely to encourage persons on those premises to consume intoxicating liquor to an excessive extent. He may prescribe particulars to be affixed to any container in which intoxicating liquor is sold which are adequate to enable the licensee or licensed premises to be identified. Breach of the regulations is subject to a first offence fine of up to €1,500 and on a second offence €2,000.
Notice
The holder of a licence or the secretary of a registered club must display a conspicuous notice containing a statement of offences provided for in the Act. The form is prescribed by regulation. Failure to do so is an offence.