Happy Hour! Assembly serves up drink promotions

Tuesday 06 October 2020

Politicians have voted in favour of allowing bars, pubs and restaurants to offer drink promotions until the end of 2021 - but the final say will sit with the Licensing Assembly.

Following the vote, the Minister for Economic Development will now have to write to the panel of jurats responsible for decisions to do with alcohol sales in the island to request that their policy on drinks pricing and promotions be changed for a period of around 15 months.

They will then make the final decision.

The vote in favour came despite a warning from the Health Minister, who raised concerns that more drinking may lead to a spike in covid cases.

The proposition had been put forward by Deputy Lindsay Ash, whose campaign slogan was ‘Get on the L.Ash’.

He said it aimed to assist the hospitality industry post-covid by allowing bars, pubs and restaurants to offer and advertise promotions on drinks until 31 December 2021. 

Pictured: Deputy Ash said his proposal proposal aimed to assist the hospitality industry post-covid.

In the report accompanying his proposition, Deputy Ash wrote: “At a time when hospitality and tourism is looking to try and make a come-back after the shut-down of businesses during the pandemic, the questions of why promotions on drinks (such as ‘Happy Hours’ or ‘Buy one get one free’ or similar) are not permitted in Jersey has been put back into sharp focus.”  

Several members spoke in today's debate, including the Health Minister, Deputy Richard Renouf, who warned that the night-time economy had been the source of common outbreaks in the UK.

He added that alcohol consumption was a “known risk of transmission”, as it “lowers people’s inhibitions” and “impairs individuals’ decision-making."

Summing up at the end of the debate, Deputy Ash said he hadn’t expected the Minister to “play the covid card."

Pictured: Deputy Ash said the Assembly was “very good at not doing anything”.

Earlier on in his speech, he noted how the Assembly was “very good at not doing anything”, as exemplified by the hospital project, Fort Regent and the Licensing Law.

He said the Assembly “couldn’t continue to drag their feet at every opportunity” and described his proposals as having been inspired by the public’s wishes, “which are so often ignored."

Deputy Ash called for States Members to at least approve the third part of his proposition, which called for the States Assembly to gain control of licensing policy decisions. Licensing applications are currently decided by a panel of jurats known as the Licensing Assembly.

He said Constables, local rehabilitation charity Silkworth Lodge and licensees should all be involved in licensing decisions with the States Assembly being the ultimate decider.

States Members were overwhelmingly supportive of the proposal, with 35 votes ‘pour’ and three ‘contre'.

The other part of Deputy Ash’s proposition, which called for the Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority to review local alcohol prices, was rejected, however. States Members were nearly equally split on the vote with 21 ‘pour’ and 22 ‘contre’.

Tweeting following the decision, the Deputy expressed regret at the decision to reject a review.

Thanks to everyone for their messages ,sadly I didn't get the one I wanted ,which was Part B to get the regulator to look at why we pay after tax 50 % more for a pint of lager than the UK....Still at least we should get policy back to the Assembly now & accountable to the public

— LINDSAY ASH (@Getonthelash2) October 6, 2020

"Thanks to everyone for their messages. Sadly I didn't get the one I wanted, which was Part B to get the regulator to look at why we pay after tax 50% more for a pint of lager than the UK... Still at least we should get policy back to the Assembly now and accountable to the public," he wrote.