Yup, we had such a ban on "Happy Hour" here a while back. The real reason was that the well-to-do pub owners weren't making any money with the downturn in the economy and it was just a scheme to keep prices up. Soooo, the competition for business turned to "Ladies Nights" and such and the pubs who could afford to sell chicken wings cheap and such got the business. The small pubs, and, worse, neighbourhood pubs, which allowed people to walk to and from, rather than drive, got screwed.

The government and the pub owners don't give a crap about the health of drinkers or about drunk drivers or they wouldn't be in the business in the first place. It's just a scheme for the "big" pubs to get rid of some competition. Sneaky, greedy bastards!