§ Mr. Bill WalkerTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has for amendments to the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976 with particular reference to any steps to overcome the nuisance of persons consuming alcohol in inappropriate public areas to the detriment of local amenity; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe recent review of the 1976 Act has revealed a large measure of support for a number of the reforms canvassed in the consultation paper issued in 1986 and I hope to be in a position to state the Government's intentions in that regard shortly. Meantime, however, I have to say that there is much disquiet about the easy availability of alcohol to young people, including under-age purchasers, through some supermarkets and other off-licences; and we propose tighter controls on these outlets. We have also received many representations about the proliferation of regular late night extensions; and we propose a much tighter control in that regard, for example, by requiring that applicants shall show good reason why the particular locality needs or would benefit from such extension. We shall also consider a stricter regime for residential areas; and we propose to ban repeated applications within two years of any unsuccessful application.
So far as the consumption of alcohol in public places is concerned, our consultations with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) show a strong preference for an experiment in the use of precisely targeted local bye-laws; and we shall now embark on detailed discussions with these bodies as to how this may best be taken forward. This would not, however, require legislation since local authorities' existing powers would suffice to cover the making of such instruments.