BII slams DCMS over Licensing Act training 'disgrace'
The BII has accused the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) of failing to act to ensure licensees are fully trained under the new Licensing Act.
BII director of qualifications Cathie Smith says she believes it is an "absolute disgrace" that the DCMS has failed to ensure that some of the qualifications for new licensees applying for their personal licences meet the tough criteria agreed earlier this year.
She claims DCMS officials did not correctly pass on this information to the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) - the qualifications awarding body. As a result the QCA has given the green light to qualifications that do not have a compulsory element which covers essential topics such as:
- age restictions for selling alcohol
- the licensing objectives
- duty to refuse service
- reporting relevant offences
- breaching conditions relating to hours of operation.
The BII is concerned that people training to be licensees could find themselves trading without the full information and knowledge they require. It also claims that other qualification suppliers have been given an unfair advantage over the BII, which has produced its own qualification that conforms to the strict criteria.
The BII has written to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell claiming that the quality of the training for licensees will be reduced without a compulsory section, and they could miss out on some key licensing issues.
Ms Smith said: "We have written, phoned and co-operated with the DCMS but they appear not to understand the implications of this.
"We are now looking to ask a question in the House of Commons. Everybody at the BII feels strongly about this. It is not doing the industry any favours at all. This standard was agreed by the advisory group and the DCMS failed to pass on the information."
A spokeswoman for the DCMS said: "The advisory group gave recommendations but placed ultimate responsibility with the QCA."
The BII has asked the QCA to review the standards of the training provided by other qualificiations suppliers.
