MPs plan to overturn pub ban on children
The government is planning to overturn the decision by the House of Lords to ban children under 14 entering pubs unaccompanied.
Under the Licensing Bill the government aimed to make pubs more family friendly by allowing unaccompanied children to enter pubs on their own to buy food and soft drinks.
But at the beginning of March the House of Lords voted against the bill proposals and agreed that children under 14 should not be allowed to enter pubs without an adult .
But the government is fighting back and is hoping to overturn the amendment. Culture minister Tessa Jowell has spoken out, claiming that there will be sufficient restrictions to ensure the safety of children in pubs. She has claimed the new legislation will clarify the current confusing laws.
The majority of publicans welcomed the House of Lords' amendment as they were concerned that pubs may become a haven for disruptive youngsters.
A poll in December on thepublican.com showed that 95 per cent of licensees didn't want children in their pubs without an adult.
Lynn Bennett, licensee of the Merrymoor Inn in Mawgan Porth, near Newquay, Cornwall, agreed.
She said: "The law needs clarifying because the general public does not understand. I do not feel that unaccompanied children should be allowed into pubs.
"It needs to be much clearer about where children should be allowed and what they are allowed to drink."
However, trade leaders feared the Lords' amendment might backfire on publicans as they could face more red tape.
Nick Bish, of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, said: "The way the bill was drafted originally was sensible as it put the onus on the publican to decide whether they have children in pubs. They would be free to set their own policies."
Meanwhile, the government said it wasn't happy with the amendment tabled in the House of Lords which would have meant that small premises wouldn't have to gain permission to put on entertainment.
The amendment would have meant that smaller pubs and restaurants would have been able to offer live entertainment as long as fewer than 250 people are present and the event finished by 11.30pm.
But Hamish Birchall, spokesman for the Musician's Union, said the House of Commons was looking to overturn the amendment or come to some other agreement.
The government has agreed:
- Licensing authorities will be given detailed guidance about the circumstances in which children can have access to premises
Area child protection committees will be consulted on all relevant licence applications
The bill will not put a specific age limit on unsupervised access to premises but tightens up the existing rules
