17th November 2005
McNeil Votes for Tough New
Alcohol Licensing Laws and Greater Say for Local Communities
MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, last night voted for tough
new laws which will shorten the hours retailers are allowed to sell alcohol;
allow the police and licensing boards to use underage volunteers to target
retailers selling alcohol to under 18s; and give communities more powers to have
their say on local licensing.
Mr McNeil voted to make a
number of key changes to the Licensing (Scotland) Bill, which was passed at
Holyrood yesterday.
The new laws will include:
Sentences of up to 3
months for retailers who repeatedly sell alcohol to under-age drinkers.
More say for local
communities on the granting of licences for pubs and clubs.
A crackdown on
irresponsible promotional activities, banning happy hours which encourage
speed drinking.
“The Licensing Bill is
designed to break the link between irresponsible drinking and crime by reforming
outdated licensing laws, tackling under-age drinking, cracking down on binge
drinking and supporting communities.
“Communities are the
biggest winners with these new laws. My
constituents will get more of a say in the granting of licenses, our community
will benefit from the measures to tackle retailers selling alcohol to under 18s
and the new laws to clampdown on so called ‘happy hours’ will go a long way
to ending the misery of antisocial behaviour and crime associated with the binge
drinking these promotions encourage.”
ENDS
Notes:
The Bill aims to:
Establish a clear,
effective and mandatory national framework which will include standard
national licence conditions covering key issues;
Abolish the outdated
system of seven licences and statutory opening hours, replacing them with
two new licences - personal and premises licence;
Take a sensible 'premises
by premises' approach to opening hours authorised by local Licensing Boards
in line with the new licensing principles coupled with a statutory
presumption against 24 hour opening;
Put an emphasis on
mandatory training; and
Introduce tougher
enforcement - a wider range of sanctions and new Licensing Standards
Officer.
A requirement for all
licensees to operate on a no-proof no-sale basis;
A requirement for
on-sales premises who want to allow access by children to set out their
plans in their operating plan for approval by the Board - emphasis on making
family access easy to suitable premises;
Introducing test
purchasing; and
Overhauling under-age
drinking offences.
Binge drinking is addressed
by:
A crackdown on
'irresponsible promotional activities' - a new policy which will ensure
drinks have to be sold at the same price for at least 72 hours and a ban on
specific irresponsible promotions such 'happy hours' that encourage binge
and speed drinking like two-for-ones
Communities are involved by:
A new approach to
overprovision for all licensed premises - Boards to conduct over-provision
assessments and block licences in saturated hot-spots;
Any person can object or
make representations to a licence application;
Key role of mediation for
Licensing Standards Officers between trade and community to help sort out
problems at local level;
Local licensing forums
with community representation with role of commenting on Board's proposed
policies; and
To protect the unique
nature of clubs and their place in communities, the Scottish Minister would
be provided with a regulatory power to exempt very small clubs should they
meet certain conditions set out in the Bill.
Ministers have agreed
milestones for transition to the new regime:
By October 2006 - all
accompanying regulations and draft statutory guidance published for three
month formal consultation.
By February 2007 -
regulations and guidance laid before the Scottish Parliament.
May 2007 - Appointment of
new Boards following Local Government Elections.
June 2007 to November
2007 - Six month period for Boards to prepare licensing policy statements
and conduct overprovision assessments. Final versions would then be
published and widely available two months prior to the start of transition.
Appointment of Licensing Standards Officers and local Forums by Local
Authorities would also take place in this period.
Ministers have endorsed the
framework which envisages:
There would be a 'big bang' transition where all licences under the new system and the majority of the provisions of the Licensing Act take effect on a single appointed day following a transition period.
Back to Current Press Releases
[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Report to the People ] [ Interact ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]
[ Copyright ] [ Directgov ] [ Scottish Parliament ]