§ Ms Bridget PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what further measures she intends to take to prevent the sale of alcohol in licensed premises to those already intoxicated. [6229]
§ Dr. HowellsIt is already an offence for a licensee to permit drunkenness in licensed premises or to sell alcohol to a drunken person. Anyone on licensed premises who procures or attempts to procure any alcohol for consumption by a drunken person commits an offence; and it is also an offence to aid a drunken person in obtaining or consuming alcohol in licensed premises.
We expect to bring into force shortly those parts of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 which will extend the offence of permitting drunkenness to managers of licensed premises who do not themselves hold the licence, and extend to all bar staff the offence of selling alcohol to drunken persons in licensed premises. At the same time, the new police powers to close down disorderly and excessively noisy licensed premises will be brought into force.