§ MR. JOHN WILSON (Lanark, Govan)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the provisions of The Public Houses Acts Amendment (Scotland) Act 1862, and especially Section 5 of that Act, it is lawful for the Excise authorities to grant a permit under which a person who does not hold any certificate in terms of that Act may sell exciseable liquors; whether his attention has been called to the case known as Steel's Hotel Licence, in Glasgow, renewal of which was refused at the Magistrates' Annual Court in April last, and the appeal against that refusal was dismissed by the Quarter Sessions in May last; whether a recommendation from some of the magistrates has since been received by the Excise authorities; if so, what was done with it; and, what steps he proposes to take in the matter?
§ MR. HANBURYUnder the Act quoted by the hon. Member the Inland Revenue have no power to issue a licence for the sale of exciseable liquors by retail to any person who shall not produce a magistrates' certificate granted under the Act. In the case to which the hon. Member refers application was made to the magistrates by the proprietress of the hotel in the usual way for renewal of her seven-day licence. The magistrates refused to grant the licence, and, though it was understood that they would have no objection to grant a six-day licence, it was then too late to make the necessary 100 application. The proprietress then petitioned the magistrates to sanction the sale of liquor on the premises under the conditions of a six-day licence until their statutory sitting for the granting of licences in October, and the magistrates who heard the petition unanimously endorsed it. Under these circumstances the Board of Inland Revenue consented to instruct their officers not to interfere with the sale of liquor by the petitioner on these premises until the statutory sitting in October at which the magistrates can consider the application for a six-day licence.