The minister for justice, equality and law reform, Dermot Ahern, has given his strongest indication yet that he is willing to reconsider a controversial law prohibiting restaurants from offering wine to their customers with meals on Good Friday.

In a written response to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD Alan Shatter, in which he was asked for his views on the matter, Ahern said the government's legislation programme provides for publication of the Sale of Alcohol bill later this year. He noted that it allows for the updating of existing laws relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol.

"This bill will modernise and streamline the laws relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol, including provisions relating to the sale and consumption of alcohol in restaurants, by repealing the Licensing Acts 1833 to 2008, as well as the Registration of Clubs Acts 1904 to 2008, and replacing them with updated and streamlined provisions," he said in the brief reply.

The Sunday Tribune understands that Ahern is keeping an "open mind" on the possibility of removing the ban. However, it is believed there is no possibility that he will consider removing the traditional ban on the sale of alcohol in pubs in Good Friday.

If the ban were removed, it is thought likely it could lead to a significant increase in the popularity of restaurants on Good Friday.

The revelation that Ahern may opt to remove the ban on selling alcohol with a meal in restaurants on Good Friday follows a high-profile case last month, in which a district court judge decided not to record prosecutions against nine Galway city restaurants for doing so.

Instead, Judge Mary Fahey branded such prosecutions by gardaí as "ludicrous" and "ridiculous".

Addressing Galway district court, she argued that people were entitled to have wine with their meals, even on Good Friday.

While the state and the gardaí were technically correct in bringing the prosecutions under intoxicating liquor laws, she added that she would not be happy to record convictions.

She also noted this was the first prosecution of its type to come before the court and she wondered if the restaurants had not bothered to open every other Good Friday. She observed that she was probably leaving herself open to judicial review by the state for taking such a stance, but said she didn't mind.

"If people want to go out for a meal on Good Friday I would have thought they could have a drink with their meal. Technically you [the garda inspector] are correct, but I think myself it is absolutely ludicrous that people on holidays especially cannot have a glass of wine with their meal," she said "I'm not advocating that pubs open on Good Friday but I think restaurants should open."