Licensing@aol.com

Ten-day time limit

Q We have just had an office party application turned down for an extension by the council. It says we did not give enough notice. But we gave a full ten days - the length of time that we were told was the minimum for a temporary event notice application.

A Unfortunately, it is not just ten days — it is ten working days. The council is entitled to disregard the weekend in deciding whether or not it was given sufficient notice.

It only needs to count the days from Monday to Friday, and it can disregard bank holidays as well.

So effectively you must give the council at least two weeks' notice of any future event, to be sure that there are ten working days available to count.

Unless you are submitting the licence personally, you must also allow for the vagaries of the postal system.

Some local authorities refuse to accept faxed or emailed notices of this kind, even though it is not a statutory application but is merely a notification.

The Government is intending to change the rules on this at some stage, and certainly temporary event notices should be able to be given electronically.

As long as both the police and the licensing authority are contacted at the proper time, it seems quite unnecessary to insist on a paper version.

Wine is now allowed

Q Is it true that youngsters under 18 can drink wine with a meal, even in the bar, under the new law?

A The law has been changed around

quite a bit in this area, and you should ensure that your staff know the whole new set of rules.

Basically, as long as the drink is bought by an adult (someone who is aged over 18), a young person between the age of 16 and 18 years is allowed by law to drink wine, beer or cider, with a table meal taken anywhere in the premises, including the bar.

In the past, the concession had been allowed for 16-year-olds to buy their own beer and cider to consume with a meal. However, the meal had to be taken in a

part of the premises actually set aside for meals, for example a restaurant or pub dining area.

Under the new law, as long as the qualifications are met on purchase (which prevent 16-year-olds buying their own alcoholic drinks) then the meal can be taken anywhere.

In pubs which allow meal service in the main bar, therefore, youngsters may join in and be supplied with the specified drinks quite legally.

This is a difficult area to deal with - and licensees will have to be on their guard in order to ensure that the situation is not abused in any way.

It is always open to the licence holder to ban consumption by under-18s entirely, if they think this is the most appropriate course to take.