ADZs are fast-tracked by Government ministers
by John Harrington
The Government is to push ahead with its controversial plan for alcohol disorder zones (ADZs) by introducing legislation, possibly within the new few weeks.
The idea was discussed at a meeting of trade leaders, Government officials, police and others on Monday, which was called to discuss implementation of Labour's election pledges.
ADZs formed part of Labour's election manifesto and it is understood that ministers want to move fast to implement them as part of the Government's new Violent Crime Reduction Bill.
In the run up to the 5 May election, the Government promised to introduce this Bill within one month of getting re-elected, although a specific timetable has not been set.
Bar Entertainment & Dance Association (BEDA) chief executive Jon Collins, who attended the talks, said officials stressed the urgency of getting ADZs passed as soon as possible.
"The intention at the moment is to introduce [ADZs] in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill," said Collins.
"They were saying things like, ministers want to move fast'. It means officials are under instructions from ministers to push ahead with plans for the zones."
The trade is united in its opposition to ADZs, which could see pubs and clubs in designated areas being forced to stump up cash for extra policing. Police and local authorities have also expressed concern about them.
The idea of ADZs first surfaced in January, in the Government's Drinking Res-ponsibly proposal document. The document posed a number of questions about ADZs, such as who should pay the costs and where the boundaries should be, but Collins said it was still unclear how these would be resolved.
"We were absolutely and completely blunt in our opposition. ADZs are impractical and could be hugely bureaucratic and a thoroughly bad idea."
The Government is also to press on with plans to give police greater powers to close pubs that "persistently" serve under 18s, force some pubs to search for guns or knives, and enact tougher laws to ban troublemakers from pubs and town centres.
The measures are to be included in Labour's new Bill. The details of the proposals are still to be worked out by officials, but Collins pointed to a number of areas of concern with the proposals, such as the definition of a venue that "persistently" serves minors.
Collins added: "What will persistently' mean? What we don't want is to create a threshold so that police and trading standards are working together to meet that threshold."
Drinks banning orders, which would ban troublemakers who had committed three offences from pubs and clubs in a specified area, are included in the Bill.
Police would also be able to ban anyone issued with a fixed penalty notice from designated areas for 24 hours. The Bill also calls for problem pubs to be required to search for guns and knives.
Collins said: "Our view was that all the venues that need to search for these things are doing so anyway. It's mostly about late-night premises, and they have PEL conditions, so it's not a massive impact for our sector or the licensed trade. Police did talk about extending it to pubs but only pubs that have specific problems."
Smoking measures and ID also in the Queen's Speech
A Health Improvement and Protection Bill will ban smoking at pubs that prepare and serve food in line with the Government's election pledge.
The Welsh Assembly would be given the power to ban smoking at pubs in Wales under an opt-out provision in the Bill. The provision is likely to mean a total ban in Wales the Welsh Assembly has already indicated this is its preferred route.
Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers chief executive Nick Bish said he was "not surprised" by the provision to allow Wales to make its own policy, but added that he was "hugely disappointed" that the Welsh Assembly wanted to enact a ban.
The Department of Health promised a detailed consultation on the details of the Bill once it is published.
The Government is also to push ahead with plans for compulsory ID cards for British citizens, via the Identity Cards Bill. Many in the trade are in favour of ID cards because they help prevent under-age sales. Conservatives support the move in principle but it remains to be seen whether they will back the Government's Bill. The Liberal Democrats and a number of Labour rebels oppose ID cards on the grounds of civil liberties.