US-style age limit plan leaked to press to gauge public opinion
Sensationalist reports that the Government is considering varying the minimum drinking age across the country are suspected to be a plant by the Home Office to gauge public opinion.
The Sunday Times last week ran an article claiming that the Government was backing proposals to give local authorities powers to enforce a minimum age limit on premises in their own areas.
It claimed that under this American-style system, some councils could allow drinking at 18 and others at 21.
The report caused concern in the trade but following investigations by thePublican.com there appears to be little evidence to support the proposal.
It is now believed the article was leaked to gauge reaction to the idea - a common tactic that the Government has been heavily criticised for.
Mark Hastings, from the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association (BLRA), said: "This story was interesting because it looked like a planted story put out to gauge reaction. It was certainly a bolt from the blue for us."
A "Home Office source" reportedly told the Sunday Times this was "one of the more radical plans" being considered and that it could be included in a green paper aimed at cracking down on alcohol-related crime and disorder planned for Labour's second term in office.
Such a move would lead to young people crossing county borders in the evening to visit pubs where the drinking age was lower, which in turn would cause overcrowding in pubs and encourage drink-driving.
The suggestion has been ridiculed by trade associations.
Martin Rawlings, of the BLRA, said: "This sounds completely ridiculous to me. It would be crazy to give anyone the power to impose an age limit. If it was to be brought in as a blanket measure then we would fight it with our last breath."
Under current licensing law, licensees can impose a restriction on the age of people entering their outlet but it is at their discretion and cannot be imposed by magistrates.
In the Government's Time to Reform White Paper, it is suggested that responsibility for licensing would pass to councils, but there is no mention of plans to give local authorities the power to set a minimum age limit.
A spokesman for the Home Office told thePublican.com he was not aware of the proposals. "I don't know where that came from," he said. "There's nothing in the White Paper about this and the only thing that's partly right is about local authorities having responsibility for licensing."
Bill Sharp, chairman of the National Parliamentary Committee of licensees, said: "We don't agree with zoning of any kind whether it's by opening hours or age limit, because it creates problems like border-crossing."
