Nothing new" over licensing review, says BBPA

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has played down media reports suggesting Gordon Brown is to review the Licensing Act.

Most of the national press picked up on comments made by the new Prime Minister yesterday at his first Downing Street news conference.

Mr Brown said he would look carefully at a Home Office review on the impact of the law changes, due by the end of the year. But he added there was no need "to rush to judgement".

He acknowledged statistics published last week showing a rise in the number of arrests between 3am and 6am and admitted there was "strong feelings about what has happened".

But he pointed out these were a small fraction of the arrests that took place in communities.

Mr Brown also said there were a "very small fraction" of pubs that were opening for 24 hours.

Mark Hastings, the BBPA's communications director, said: "This review is nothing new.

"It was first talked about two years ago and has always been part of the process of the Licensing Act. We welcomed it two years ago and see no reason to change our mind.

"Trends are moving in a positive direction. The changes are having a positive impact on broader social issues, such as binge-drinking and the atmosphere of the night-time economy."

He added that only a handful of pubs have 24-hour licences and of these very few actually use them, whereas around 600 supermarkets have 24-hour licences which they use all the time.