Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Licensing Act 2003 guidance in order to make a licence for the sale of alcohol contingent on the requirement for the licensee to have a policy on responding to risk of or actual sexual misconduct and assault in premises.

The Government is committed to tackling and preventing all forms of sexual misconduct and assault.

Under the Licensing Act 2003, all licensed premises must comply with four statutory licensing objectives, one of which is the prevention of crime and disorder. Where there are concerns about an application for a licence arising from the way the premises propose to operate, the customers it will attract, or the incidence of sexual offences in its area, a licensing committee may decide to place conditions on its licence requiring measures to prevent sexual offending.

We continue to focus on establishing effective partnerships between the police, local authorities, local partnership schemes and businesses to take effective actions against alcohol-related crime in the night time economy and on licensed premises.