Pub disability law passed in Scotland
Anyone applying for a premises licence in Scotland will have to state what they've done to abide by disability discrimination laws, after an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Licensing Act was passed.
Applications must include a "statement of compliance" with the 2005 Disability Discrimination Act, detailing where changes have been made to remove barriers for disabled people.
The move has been included in an amendment to Scotland's Criminal Justice and Licensing Bill, tabled by George Foulkes MSP. The change would also apply to major licence variations.
It follows a campaign called Barred! from charity Capability Scotland, which says almost 75% of disabled people experience barriers in Scottish pubs.
The Act requires pubs to make "reasonable" adjustments so they don't present barriers for disabled people.
"This amendment is not anti-pub," said Foulkes. "In fact, it is quite the reverse. The Barred! campaign accepts that the licensed trade is struggling at the minute and that adaptations can be expensive or impossible to make due to planning regulations or listed building restrictions.
"This campaign works alongside the licensed trade and local authority licence forums to improve the accessibility of pubs and clubs where possible and get the right information about the accessibility of venues into the hands of disabled people.
"With the support of the Scottish Parliament, Barred! empowers disabled people to make informed choices about where they chose to relax and socialise, and make they have the best possible independent lifestyle."
Capability's director of External Affairs, Richard Hamer, added: "The Barred! amendment offers a solution by asking licence applicants to think about access at an early stage. It also asks for the information to be made available publicly so that people can refer to it when they are making decisions about where to go for a night out or other social occasion."
Scottish Beer and Pub Association chief executive Patrick Browne said: "We supported the amendment as a positive step forward. It is sensible.
"But we do need greater guidance from the Scottish Government on what information will be needed. We need some clarity as we don't want licensing boards asking for different information."
