Both on and off licenced retailers have been invited to put
forward proposals to trial new technology when carrying out
age verification checks, has announced today (18 March 2021).
The call for proposals has been launched by the Home Office
and the Office for Product Safety and Standards, and
retailers who are successful will be able to pilot new
technology to improve the process of ID check during the
sale of alcohol and other age restricted items.
The pilots will explore how technology can strengthen
current measures in place to prevent those under 18 from
buying alcohol, reduce violence or abuse towards shop
workers and ensure there are robust age checks on the
delivery, click and collect or dispatch of alcohol.
, said:
Having a robust age verification system is absolutely
critical in preventing the sale of alcohol to children
and the harm under-age drinking causes.
These pilots will allow us to explore how new technology
can improve the experience of buying and selling alcohol,
both for the consumer and the retailer.
It will be up to applicants to suggest products to trial
within their proposals, but technology that may potentially
be tested include a holographic or ultraviolent
identification feature on a mobile phone.
Retailers will be able to submit applications online on
gov.uk and will be required to provide detail on how the
technology works and how they plan to test it.
Currently, it is not possible to use a digital ID as proof
of age for the purchase of alcohol in England and Wales.
The pilots will allow a wide range of digital age
verification technology to be tested, and the findings will
be used to understand the impact of this technology and
inform future policy, as part of the government’s ambition
to create an innovative digital economy.
Tony Allen, Chair of the Expert Panel on Age Restrictions
and CEO of the Age Check Certification Scheme, said:
We welcome this important initiative to properly test,
evaluate and provide assurance and certification of the
plethora of technologies that are emerging to help with
age assurance.
This will assist with enhancing the protection of
children from harm, but also potentially reducing the
levels of abuse suffered by workers in licensed premises
when challenging for proof of age.
The results of these Sandbox Trials, when independently
evaluated, can help inform future policy development for
the retail sale of alcohol.
Deputy Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary and NPCC
lead on alcohol harm Rachel Kearton said:
As the National Police Chiefs Council lead for alcohol
harm reduction and licensing I know that protection of
children from harm is one of the cornerstones of the
Licensing Act and as such I welcome the opportunity to
explore new technologies that may assist retailers in the
age verification process.
Retailers will still be required to carry out physical age
verification checks alongside any digital technology in
line with the current law, which requires a physical
identification card with a holographic mark or ultraviolet
feature upon request in the sale of alcohol.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards will be hosting
a series of webinars over the next two months to assist
members of the industry in drafting their proposals.
Applications will be assessed by a group of experts from a
range of organisations, including the Home Office, Trading
Standards, the Office for Product Safety and Standards and
the Metropolitan police.
Trials by successful applicants will begin in the summer
and must be completed by February 2022.
Retailers can submit their
proposals to trial digital age verification technology on
gov.uk.
Submissions close on 31 May and successful applicants be
notified by 2 July.
