Licensing Act review: Trade response
Mark Hastings (pictured), director of communications, British Beer & Pub Association
"We welcome the Government's decision to stick with the new licensing laws. It is an entirely reasonable and rational conclusion, given the evidence.
"Changing the centuries-long drinking patterns and behaviours of the British will take longer than a couple of years.
"At the heart of the licensing changes has been a modest and marginal improvement in the social life choices available to adults in this country, the same choices that people in other countries around the world have always enjoyed.
"Social problems such as alcohol misuse, violence and disorder need to be tackled in a targeted way.
"Our industry is and is keen to continue to play a full part and to be held to account for the factors that are within our ability to control.
"At the same time, the raft of laws that exist to hold individuals to account need to be enforced with equal rigour."
Paul Smith, executive director, Noctis
"We knew the direction the government was travelling and these measures appear to popularise and re-emphasis what we already suspected was on the way.
I think some of the work the on-trade has done to address problems has been acknowledged and it is the off-trade which is getting much of the focus.
I would be very surprised if there was any return to fixed hours.
"Our members who operate night-time economy venues say staggered closing has eased a lot of the pressure on town centres during the early hours."
Tony Payne, chief executive, Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations
"I think the government has bowed to media pressure to address binge drinking and alcohol-related crime.
"There has always been late night incidents in town centres and I suspect there always will be.
"It is the uncontrolled drinking away from licensed premises that has been allowed to get away unchecked which is the real problem.
"It's a culture which has changed through people getting hold of cheap alcohol.
"Somehow the people who cause all these problems on the streets never seem to get the blame."
Nick Bish, chief executive, Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers
"It would be unlikely that a Government review into a key piece of legislation would result in anything but an upside.
"Those looking retrospectively at the Licensing Act from the Association of Chief Police Officers down to temperance groups, and wondering why it has not turned Britain into the late-night café culture of the Costa Brava, are using it to their own particular ends.
"Our concerns about the Act centre on the burden of red tape and costs. Under cost selling by supermarkets is rightly in the limelight but they are complex problems and cannot always be addressed by soundbites."
