[ukebert]

V113 - Licensing Bill 2008, Conservative

Licencing Bill 2008

We, TSR Government, believe that the provisions concerning alcoholic products set out in the Licensing Act of 2003 are inadequate at prohibiting the abuse of alcohol. Furthermore we are disgusted by the use of Trading Standards sting operations, the ‘Think 21!’ scheme they operate only penalises businesses whilst allows individuals to knowingly break the law without any consequence. We believe in making alcohol laws much more a matter for the individual, this does not necessarily mean a total liberalisation of the law but more of a responsibility to control yourself. We also wish to encourage a continental style drinking attitude through introducing alcohol at 16 in the relaxed atmosphere of a pub.

BE IT ENACTED by The Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, in accordance with the provisions of the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and by the authority of the same, as follows:-

1) The current Public House Licence will be amended to allow Beer, Cider and Wine to be sold to anyone over the age of 16.

1.1 Only those drinks listed above, it does not include spirits or any spirit derivative e.g. WKD.
1.2 This will only apply to Public Houses it will not allow anyone under the age of 18 to purchase alcohol (of any sort) in shops, clubs or anywhere other than a licensed public house.

2) It will remain a criminal offence for a young person between the ages of 12-16 (in a pub) and 12-18 everywhere else, however the penalty for attempting to purchase alcohol will be properly enforced.

2.1 If a suspected minor is seen by a police officer attempting to purchase alcohol which they may not legally be entitled to then the minors parents or guardians will receive an £80 fine.
2.2 If the suspected minor argues that they are old enough then they must either show the officer a piece of photo ID there and then or bring a piece of photo ID to a police station within 48 hours, if the young person does not hold a piece of photo ID then they must bring a parent or guardian (who posses photo ID) and they must sign a declaration stating their childs exact birthday, falsifying this declaration would result in a perjury charge.
2.3 If a set of parents or guardians receives three £80 fines for their children then they face further court action, which could result in a £5000 fine and a criminal record.

3) Business will no longer be responsible for the actions of the individual, all penalties to business and the individual cashiers will be repealed, this will be replaced by one simple directive:

3.1 If a premises is suspected of deliberately preying on minors for maximising profit then a police officer has the right to observe them for a period of 3 weeks, if the retailer is seen obviously breaching the law then they will be issued with a court order in order to explain their actions, this may then result in a fine (to the company not the individual cashier) and a temporary loss of licence.

4) Trading Standards and the Police are not authorised to continue using minors as dummies to entrap business.

4.1 If a Trading Standards officer or Police Officer uses an under 16 or 18 to test a retailer then the officer faces instant dismissal and a fine of up to £5000.
4.2 The under 16 or 18 used in the sting will face the penalties outlined in section 2.

5) Alcohol adverts will be banned from being screened on TV or broadcasted on the radio.

6) An education programme will be used to educate young people between the ages of 12-18 on the dangers of alcohol abuse. This will be taught as a seperate module within Citizenship classes and will consist of: explaining the physical damage alcohol can do to your body, the social effects alcohol abuse can do to your loved ones and society in general and explain the provisions set out in this act. TSR Government believes that this teaching must be as interactive as possible for example showing videos of alcohol related crime to demonstrate the social effects, showing pictures of the liver after alcohol abuse etc.

7) This bill will come into force 1 month after it has been passed in order for all Trading Standards operatives to know about the new regulations and for pubs to acquire the new licence to sell under section 1.

[DayneD89]

Yay first vote
Im so sad aren't I? Lol

[SuperhansFavouriteAlsatian]

I agree with the sentiment, but I felt that clause 3 was a killer for me. I think if we are to introduce laws, we should seek to implement their effect to the best of our ability, not go half arsed and hope it works itself out.

[rockrunride]

Voted.

Toughie for me tbh.

To be fair though, it is going to make shopowners more relaxed when they have still sold something they shouldn't have, and they may not particularly care.

[ukebert]

The Nays have it, the Nays have it, unlock!