AQW 8336/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 07/10/2020
Answered On Date: 19/10/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities for an update on the implementation of the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Act (NI) 2011.

Answer:

The Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Act 2011 contains 19 sections and 4 Schedules which amended, and in some places replaced, existing provisions of the Licensing Order 1996 (the Licensing Order) and the Registration of Clubs Order 1996 (the Clubs Order).

To date the following Sections of the Act have been commenced:

Sections 1 and 7 which made provision for Closure Orders in licensed premises and clubs were both commenced on 10 December 2012;

Sections 2 and 8 which made provision for attributing penalty points to licensed premises and clubs regarding offences were both commenced on 1 May 2012;

Sections 3 and 9 which made provision for a statutory ‘Proof of Age’ scheme in licensed premises and clubs were both commenced on 1 May 2012;

Sections 4 and 10 which made provision for the prohibiting or restricting of certain Irresponsible Drinks Promotions through Regulations were both partially commenced on 1 January 2013;

Section 6 which clarified how the Order applied to limited liability partnerships in licensed premises was commenced on 1 May 2012;

Section 13 which made provision for increased authorisations for special occasions in clubs was commenced on 1 March 2012; and

Section 14 which made provision for a change of time a young person under 18 years of age can be in a club which has a bar.

Sections not yet commenced are:

Section 5 which provides a power for the Department to make regulations to prohibit or restrict the varying of the price at which intoxicating liquor is sold in licensed premises for specified periods and also provides for the Department to restrict, also by regulations, price discounts where two or more intoxicating liquor products are sold as a package on licensed premises;

Section 11 which provides a power for the Department to make regulations to prohibit or restrict the varying of the price at which intoxicating liquor is sold for limited periods in clubs; and

Section 12 which provides a power for the Department to make regulations and guidance which will make accounting requirements in clubs more flexible. Work is currently ongoing to have these regulations commenced from 1 April 2021 in order to coincide with the new financial year.