Here are some suggestions for changes in the law I have come up with. I think they are sensible and I hope workable suggestions for making things a bit better. I do not address the issue of under-age drinking, as I consider this to be an enforcement issue and as our children are products of our society and learn from what we do, I believe the solution is to address adult binge drinking first.
Let me know what you think:
I would recommend a gradual, multi-pronged approach, featuring the following:
1. A freeze on alcohol duty coupled with a lowering of duty on low alcohol products, such as mid strength beers.
The point of this is to stop encouraging binge drinking with price inflation and to encourage sensible consumption rates.
2. A gradual extension of pub opening times, on licensed premises that want to stay open longer, to allow patrons who wish to stay out later to do so. This would be achieved by an annual extension of 15 or 30 minutes, cumulative with the previous years extension, to allow for a slow adjustment period. The ultimate aim of this policy is to allow for the eventual elimination of legally enforced closing times.
This is to cut down on the closing time binge phenomenon and associated antisocial behaviour.
3. Alterations to two licenses:
The amendment of the special restaurant license, allowing restaurants to sell alcohol to customers without requiring the purchase of a substantial meal, as long as substantial food is available at the time and all other requirements of the special restaurant license are met.
The creation of a beer and wine on-licence, which would be issued without the need for a court certificate, but only allow for the sale of beer, wine and cider. The availability of snacks and light meals at all times alcohol is for sale might also be a requirement this license.
The idea here is to diversify locations for the consumption of alcohol and weaken the artificial separation between food and drink which has developed in the Irish pub, without completely eliminating the de facto competitive advantage of the holder of a pub license, over night. It should result in fewer high pressure drinking environments, without throwing the door open for a simple mushrooming in the numbers of pubs. Because food service is a perquisite of the restaurant licence, as is seating of customers, while the beer and wine on-licensee, still has a far more limited selection of stock available than the publican. Publicans would have time to adjust to the changing drinking culture, giving them a chance to offer more than a simple place to binge drink.
4. A requirement for all on licence premises to sell tea, coffee, soft drinks, fruit juices, mineral water, etc. as long as alcohol is for sale and to cap the per volume price of all non alcoholic drinks at the per volume price of the least expensive alcoholic drink available on the premises.
This is to address the poor availability of non alcoholic beverages in licensed premises, as well as the exorbitant prices asked for them when they are available.
These are, by necessity gradual changes which, broadly speaking, work within the current alcohol licensing structure. This is to allow our society and our existing alcohol outlets to adjust to the new situation. Over time, as the adjustment takes hold, further changes could be considered, perhaps with a view to streamlining the current Byzantine alcohol licensing system, so that only “alcohol on” and “alcohol off” licences are needed and the market place, along with planning authorities, is allowed to determine their numbers and location, without recourse to the courts.
