Are some licensees drinking in, as well as managing, the last-chance saloon? Gordon Macdiarmid, chairman of Scotland's biggest licensing board, seems to think so. Glasgow's board is no different than any other in possessing powers to award and withdraw licences to sell alcohol. But he believes Glasgow's board, and by extension every other board in this country, is operating with hands tied behind collective backs in relation to tackling a development he and others believe is contributing to Scotland's worsening drink problem. There is no shortage of figures to show how heavy a toll excessive alcohol consumption is taking across generations, classes and the gender divide.
When the law was changed to liberalise licensing hours in 2005, legislators said the result would be responsible drinking. Aspects of the law are positive and include giving local residents a bigger say in licensing decisions and curbing happy hours. But there is little, if any, evidence of liberalisation promoting responsible consumption. As The Herald reveals today, Mr Macdiarmid has grave concerns about an aspect of pre-existing law that could have been changed but was not and is now flourishing, with corrosive effect, in the new environment of liberalisation.
This concerns the power licensed premises have to vary prices. Fixing prices is, of course, anti-competitive. When invariably abused, the customer gets a raw deal. Rock-bottom bar prices might appear to be a good deal for consumers but are not when they exacerbate binge drinking. According to Mr Macdiarmid, this is the result when proprietors buy in bulk and discount prices to attract custom. The licensed trade sector is highly competitive and new figures showing that business has suffered to a degree because of the smoking ban have made the contest to pull in drinkers more intense.
But the battle for customers should be waged in a responsible way. In theory, self-regulation should ensure licensed premises behave responsibly. However, Glasgow licensing board's wish to acquire powers to intervene in a way that meant bars could not sell spirits at cheaper prices than bottled water or other soft drinks, suggests self-regulation is not working. But such powers do not exist. Faced with the same problem, Perth and Aberdeen boards tried in 2004 to set minimum prices but the bid fell under legal challenge. The answer seems clear: give boards powers to prevent premises selling liquor at prices that, on their own, do not make business sense and result in some customers drinking much more than they should.
There is, apparently, an opportunity to change the law in a positive sense by inserting these powers in the new Licensing Act due to come into force in 2009. Eradicating the practice of deep discounting would be in line with one of the Act's objectives: improving public health. We could all drink to that, in moderation. A curb on ridiculously cheap booze, whether on sale at the bar or on the supermarket shelf, would help put the sentiment into practice.
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