Glasgow: soft drinks for last orders
Glaswegian pubs and clubs could be forced to serve soft drinks only in the last hour of service under new recommendations by the Health and Social Care Committee.
The suggestion is made alongside 63 others to the Strathclyde Police, the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and the Licensing Board.
The Health Impact Assessment report suggests the trial of a "winding down" hour before closing, where only non-alcoholic drinks are available. Extra licensing hours to implement this would not be allowed.
It also recommends the compulsory provision of leaflets outlining alcohol content and recommended daily units of every drink, with a particular focus on cocktails, and a compulsory Challenge 25 policy at all licensed premises.
The council has also proposed giving the community a greater say over licensed premises for its "overprovision assessment", although Scottish licensing law already includes a public health objective.
Scottish Beer and Pub Association chief executive Patrick Browne said the report had not been properly researched and referenced to the Licensing Act 2005.
"A lot of the content of the report was rather subjective without an evidence based approach," he said.
"There is a provision in licensing legislation for a wind-down period but it is voluntary. I think it would be a bit contradictory to impose such requirements on alcohol-selling venues."
He said the public have already had the opportunity to make any complaints abuot venues and that giving the community a greater say would be unnecessary.
When asked about the recommendation for compulsory unit labelling, Browne said: "I am sceptical about the impact on customer behaviour.
"The report was produced by a majority of health professionals and I don't think this is a matter for them. It would have helped if the industry had had an input."
Chair of Health and Social Care Policy Committee John McKenzie said: "The recommendations contained within this report lay down a wide ranging set of sensible proposals which can help address the concerns we have about the way we use alcohol.
"They are designed to operate within the existing rules which govern the sale and consumption of alcohol and that's what we hope will give them added weight."
Licensing board chairman Stephen Dornan said: "The Board is looking very carefully at all the recommendations made in this report as we move towards drafting the second edition of our policy statement."
