§ Mr. CranTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider extending the experimental ban on drinking in public places to encompass the town of Beverley.
§ Mr. John PattenSeven local authorities, including Coventry, are trying out the experimental byelaw which makes it an offence to drink alcohol in a public place and we have no plans to extend the experiment. I believe that it is sensible to wait and see how this measure works out in practice in these areas before deciding whether to offer the byelaw for general adoption by local authorities.