Overhaul of licencing law one step nearer

Wednesday 25 October 2017

A new body could soon be responsible for issuing liquor licences in the island.

The States are being asked to scrap the current set-up where a panel made up of the Lieutenant-Governor, Bailiff and Jurats decide on applications, and replace it with a new 10-strong panel.

It would be made up of seven politicians chosen by the States, and three professional members who would serve as Chair and Vice-Chairs. The proposed new law says “it is anticipated that the professional members will have a background in a senior decision-making role and/or experience of the licensed trade, albeit with no current financial interests or close connections in the trade”.

It’s hoped the new system will speed up the application process and do away with unnecessary red tape. The panel – made up of two of the States members and one of the professional members – will rotate and meet on a monthly basis to deal with contentious applications. Again, it is hoped this will cut waiting times. An appeals process has also been written into the law.

A revised panel is one of the changes the trade has been asking for, so it’s likely to be welcomed by the industry. But the draft law still doesn’t tackle many of the other things they say are wrong with the current law which was approved in 1974, uppermost of which is the confusing seven-licence category system. The new law says this and a number of other technical matters will be addressed in draft regulations which it hopes to introduce if the proposed changes are given the go ahead.

The seven-licence set up means premises often have to apply for more than one type of licence. The fee structure has also been criticised.