Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the Licensing Act 2003 in regulating the placement of alcohol products in retail premises near products primarily intended for children.

The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. The regulatory regime provided by the Act is underpinned by four core licensing objectives, one of which is the protection of children from harm. License holders are expected to uphold the licensing objectives and Licensing Authorities have substantial powers available to them to address irresponsible or illegal alcohol sales. This includes reviewing a premises licence, imposing license conditions, suspending a licence or, in the most serious cases, revoking it.

It is also an offence under section 141 of the Act for a person to knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is underage, or to allow alcohol to be sold to such a person. As such, the Government considers that the existing framework provides a robust set of tools to deal with irresponsible retailers.