Tories weigh in on ADZs fiasco

A Tory MP close to party leader David Cameron has challenged the government to explain why supermarkets will be excluded from paying for alcohol disorder zones (ADZs).

Desmond Swayne, Cameron's parliamentary private secretary, tabled a question in parliament yesterday calling for Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to make a statement on the issue.

A response from Smith is due next Monday (January 28).

Under the current regulations, supermarkets and convenience stores will avoid paying the charges because premises where alcohol is "not the main reason, or one of the main reasons, why individuals enter or remain on the premises" will be exempt.

Many in the trade are furious about the measures and the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) wrote to MPs last week calling for their support in fighting the exemption for off-trade premises.

In the letter, BBPA chief executive Rob Hayward stated: "We believe firmly that they should set a level playing field for all those involved in the retail of alcohol."

Excluding the off-trade was neither "logical nor equitable," he said.

However pubs will be given a discount of up to 90 per cent from the charges if they are part of an accreditation or award scheme aimed at reducing alcohol-related issues.

Mark Hastings, communications director at the BBPA, said he believed Swayne's question was as a result of the letter. He added: "We've already had replies thanking us for bringing this to people's attention."

Labour MP Eric Illsley said he supported the BBPA's concerns. "A lot of problems happen away from licensed premises after people have been pre-loading at home," he said. "Supermarkets are often away from town centres now, so a lot will get off scott-free.

"There will be a risk of creating ghettos in certain areas where people will go looking for trouble."

The 13-page regulations covering ADZs are due to be debated in Parliament "by the end of the month", according to the Home Office.