Repeat of New Year's Eve licensing delays on the cards

This year could see a repeat of the delays surrounding New Year's Eve licensing if the Government does not act quickly to submit the necessary deregulation order.

It is already time for the Government to decide whether to push for a blanket extension allowing licensees to open for 36 hours over New Year's Eve.

Failure to table the order soon could mean it is not passed until November or December, leaving little time for publicans to plan events.

Ministers must also decide if this year's deregulation order would cover 2002 only, or would relax the rules to cover all subsequent New Year's Eves.

In the Good Practice Guide, used by the Magistrates' Association and the Justices' Clerks' Society, it is recommended that licensing benches automatically approve applications for extended hours until 12.30am on New Year's Eve.

Licensees who are eager to start planning the celebrations could apply for this extension before the deregulation is approved but risk wasting time and money if it then goes through.

Ministers may choose to wait until after the Golden Jubilee to draft the deregulation order - but that could be too late to push the extension through.

In 2000, Prime Minister Tony Blair was forced to step in and push through the deregulation order, after it was held up in Parliament.