What the Sunday papers said

Former Pubmaster boss John Sands is believed to be among the bidders for a collection of 170 high-street pubs and bars put up for sale in April by Spirit Group. Who is backing Mr Sands - who left Pubmaster after it was sold to Punch Taverns last year - is not known, but he is likely to face tough competition from the likes of ex-Laurel chief executive Ian Payne. The portfolio of pubs is expected to fetch more than £250m - The Sunday Times​

Hundreds of pubs and bars throughout the UK are defying BBPA guidelines to curb their 'happy hour' activities. Some are getting round the BBPA's recommendations, which are designed to cut down drunkeness and violence in town centres, by extending happy hours into 'happy afternoons'. Of 100 pubs visited by the Sunday Times last week, 39 still had drinks' promotions and 17 appeared to be defying new guidelines aimed at halting alcohol misuse and antisocial behaviour - The Sunday Times​

Belhaven, Scotland's largest independent brewer, is expected to announce on Monday that it has shrugged off the impact of a consumer slowdown and reveal full-year pre-tax profits of £17.2m, up from £14.3m last year. Growth has come from an expanded pub estate and not passing on price rises to its customers - The Sunday Express​

Regent Inns' shareholders are believed to have given their backing for the company to bid for the entertainment division of late-night operator Luminar. Any bid would be part of the new acquisitive strategy Regent is pursuing following the arrival of Bob Ivell as chairman and John Leslie, Regent's new finance director - The Mail On Sunday​

The cost of ID cards will add more than £100 to the average annual council tax bill. The MoS quotes a London School of Economics report that said the introduction of cards would cost £300 per person also revealed that councils would have to find a further £10bn to cover local costs such as staff training and new technology. This would be passed on in the form of higher council tax bills - The Mail On Sunday​

Thousands of private shareholders in SFI Group, owner of the Slug & Lettuce chain, will receive nothing from the sale of the company. SFI, once valued at £225m, will be carved up and sold in a process that will just about cover its £80m debts. Most of the group will go to property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz, while the rest will be placed in administration - The Mail On Sunday​

Robert Tchenguiz is poised to assume control of SFI Group, which owns the Slug & Lettuce chain. He has bid around £80m for the company, which has around 150 pubs and is being sold by the consortium that took control after SFI got into difficulties in 2003 and was delisted from the stock market. Among other bidders for the group, whose outlets include the Litten Tree and Bar Med chains, are Ian Payne, ex-chief executive of the Laurel Pub Company - The Sunday Telegraph​

Alternative ID cards costing just £30 per person - against the government's version which will weigh in at around £300 per individual - will be unveiled this week. The scheme, drawn up by the London School of Economics after six months of research, would also limit the government's access to information on the card to a few basic details. Under government proposals, much more personal information would be held on a national database - The Sunday Telegraph​