The Select Committee on the Licensing Act 2003 was set up on 25 May 2016 with the task of conducting post-legislative scrutiny of that Act. The Committee will be looking at the provisions of the Act, in its original form and with its subsequent amendments, at its implementation, and at related developments. The Committee has to report by 31 March 2017.
This is a public call for written evidence to be submitted to the Committee. The deadline is 2 September 2016.
It is helpful if opinions are supported by factual and statistical evidence where appropriate.
The Committee would welcome evidence from anyone with an interest in the operation of the Licensing Act 2003. Information on how to submit evidence is set out below. If you have any questions or require adjustments to enable you to respond please contact the Committee team: details also below.
The Licensing Act 2003 was intended to provide a means of balancing the broad range of interests engaged by licensing decisions – those of the entertainment and alcohol industries, small and large businesses, local residents and communities, policing, public health, and the protection of children from harm. Decision making under the Act was expected to balance these interests for the public benefit, rather than identify a ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ side. The Government said:
“Our approach is to provide greater freedom and flexibility for the hospitality and leisure industry. This will allow it to offer consumers greater freedom of choice. But these broader freedoms are carefully and necessarily balanced by tougher powers for the police, the courts and the licensing authority to deal in an uncompromising way with anyone trying to exploit these greater freedoms against the interest of the public in general.”
The Committee would welcome general views on whether the Act has achieved these objects. It would in particular welcome views on the following issues. You need not address all these questions.
This is a response submitted by Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP)
