Draft Licensing Act
2003 (Platinum Jubilee Licensing Hours) Order 2022
6.00pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home
Department ()
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Licensing Act 2003
(Platinum Jubilee Licensing Hours) Order 2022.
It is a pleasure, as always, to serve under your chairmanship, Dr
Huq.
The platinum jubilee is a momentous milestone and I am sure that
many people—perhaps including members of the Committee—will want
to raise a glass in recognition of Her Majesty’s enormous
contribution to our country. Under section 172 of the Licensing
Act 2003, the Secretary of State can make an order relaxing
licensing hours to mark occasions of “exceptional national
significance”. I think we would all agree that the platinum
jubilee is without doubt such an occasion.
The Home Office conducted a public consultation to seek the views
of the public, and the majority of responses were in favour of
the licensing extension, agreeing with the duration and location
put to the Committee. The draft order, therefore, is to extend
licensing hours in England and Wales on Thursday 2 June, Friday 3
June and Saturday 4 June, until 1 am the following morning.
The extension will apply to premises licences and club premises
certificates in England and Wales, which license the sale of
alcohol for consumption on the premises. Those premises will be
allowed to remain open without having to notify the licensing
authority and police via a temporary event notice. The draft
order will permit premises licensed to provide regulated
entertainment to open until 1 am on the nights that it covers,
even where those premises are not licensed to sell alcohol.
Following from the consultation, however, the Government agreed
with the majority of respondents that the draft order should not
extend to premises that sell alcohol for consumption off the
premises, such as off-licences and supermarkets. Premises that
provide “late night refreshment”, which is the supply of hot food
or hot drinks to the public between the hours of 11 pm and 5 am,
but that do not sell alcohol for consumption on the premises,
will not be covered. Such premises will be able to provide late
night refreshment until 1 am only if their existing licence
already permits that.
I hope that the whole Committee will stand together in support of
the extension of licensing hours to celebrate Her Majesty the
Queen’s platinum jubilee and ensure that it is the event that it
deserves to be. I commend the draft order to the Committee.
6.02pm
(Halifax) (Lab)
It is a real pleasure to serve under you as Chair, Dr Huq.
Members will be pleased to hear that I do not intend to detain
the Committee for long. Unusual as this is, I am in full
agreement with the Minister on this occasion. The draft order is
an amendment to the Licensing Act that will allow licensed
premises to continue to sell alcohol, offer entertainment and
serve late night refreshment for longer than usual on the
extended bank holiday. We are happy to support it, not least in
Halifax, where plans for celebrations are well under way right
across the borough.
I have had the pleasure of being involved in the celebrations
planned for our magnificent Piece Hall, which involve, as part of
the jubilee festivities, a special day to give thanks to our
emergency services as defenders of the Queen’s peace. I encourage
others to consider doing the same in their respective patches. As
we all know, however, the main focus of the jubilee weekend is
the opportunity to bring communities together to celebrate Her
Majesty the Queen becoming the first British monarch to celebrate
a platinum jubilee: 70 years of service. She has served this
country with humility and understated determination for 70
years.
The proposals will recognise the exceptional national
significance of such a milestone and will allow for festivities
to continue into the evening a little longer than usual. We must
note, of course, that extended licensing hours may lead to more
instances of antisocial and disorderly behaviour, and other
misdemeanours associated with the consumption of alcohol. I urge
the Minister and his colleagues to be alive to that, and to
respond positively to any anxieties and requests that the police
and local authorities may have in ensuring that all revellers
engage in festivities responsibly. In conclusion, however, I am
happy to support the Government’s proposals, and wish all Members
a wonderful platinum jubilee weekend.
6.04pm
(Rossendale and Darwen)
(Con)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Huq. On
behalf of my constituents, I wish to make just a few points to
the Minister about this legislation.
I am sure that all members of the Committee will agree that Her
Majesty the Queen has an extraordinary history of service to our
nation; that is deeply felt by my constituents in Rossendale and
Darwen, which is one of the most patriotic constituencies in the
whole land. When the Minister responds, I hope that he will talk
about other things—rather than just going to the pub—that his
Department is doing to support the jubilee, not least given the
Queen’s desire to see the Commonwealth green canopy planted.
I am sure the Minister is aware that the Woodland Trust is
currently taking orders for the planting season starting in
November, so primary schools, or any other organisation, in our
constituencies can be part of celebrating this extraordinary
achievement by Her Majesty the Queen. I look forward to working
with primary schools across Rossendale and Darwen, in villages
such as Tockholes, Edgworth, Helmshore, Weir, Whitewell and
others, and planting a tree for the jubilee. For our young
people, the pubs staying open a little bit longer is not quite as
important as it is to their parents.
Will the Minister comment on the Queen’s extraordinary history of
service to the Church of England? This jubilee celebrates Her
Majesty the Queen becoming not only our Head of State, but the
head of our national Church. In Blackburn cathedral, in the
constituency adjoining mine, we will have a special service in
celebration of that extraordinary achievement. Will the Minister
comment, not just about the services in Blackburn cathedral and
other churches in my constituency, but about other people marking
the jubilee in that way? That is very different from going to the
pub. People may well want to do both—go to the church and then to
the pub—although perhaps not at one o’clock in the morning. Will
the Minister say what provision will be made for those
people?
Finally, having visited the Piece Hall in the constituency of the
hon. Member for Halifax, I know what an extraordinary building it
is, but I will take her Piece Hall and raise her Darwen Tower,
which was erected for Queen Victoria’s jubilee and has recently
benefited from the Government’s levelling-up fund. Several
hundreds of thousands of pounds have been spent to ensure that it
can be repointed, restored and rebuilt to continue to stand in
glory, not just for the jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen
Elizabeth II, but for many years to come. The people of
Rossendale and Darwen—particularly the people of Darwen—will be
celebrating that as part of the jubilee.
I fully support what the Government are doing today. I look
forward to raising a glass in the Anchor pub in Darwen and the
Robin Hood Inn in Helmshore, and I may even go to the Hop on Bank
Street in Rawtenstall. I will not be doing a pub crawl, as this
will be over several days; the draft order is for 2, 3 and 4
June, so we will have the opportunity to support pubs in our
constituencies, which have had such a terrible time during the
covid pandemic.
I wish everyone a happy jubilee. I take pleasure in putting on
record the thanks of my constituents in Rossendale and Darwen for
an extraordinary history of service by Her Majesty the Queen,
which all colleagues hope will continue for many years to
come.
The Chair
From across the other side of the Pennines, over the Snake Pass,
I call .
6.08pm
(Harrogate and Knaresborough)
(Con)
I commend the Minister on this initiative. We have had the most
exceptional monarch in Her Majesty, and I believe that Brits,
including in Harrogate and Knaresborough, will want to celebrate
and mark her incredible service to our country. Raising a pint to
Her Majesty in a pub is a fitting way to celebrate her remarkable
life and toast her exceptional qualities. The extension of the
licensing hours proposed today will be very popular. I support
the draft order.
The Chair
Does anyone else wish to catch my eye, or are there any killjoys
who do not want an extra two hours a day over three days? No one
at all. In that case, I call the Minister to conclude the
debate.
6.09pm
I thank the tourist boards in Halifax, Rossendale and Darwen, and
Harrogate and Knaresborough, for their contribution to this
debate. While we are on that subject, of course the best place to
be over the jubilee weekend will be Torbay, where the Torbay air
show will take place along with a free music festival. What could
be better than seeing the red, white and blue literally being
sprayed across a beautiful piece of south Devon’s coastline, and
then—to keep my speech in order—being able to enjoy a beverage,
for a couple of hours longer, in a pub in Paignton, Torquay or
Brixham?
The comments that we have heard show the wide support for the
draft order. On the more serious point raised by the shadow
Minister, the hon. Member for Halifax, the police are conscious
of the potential for a small minority to enjoy themselves
slightly too much and not responsibly, and their need to work
with local authorities to tackle such behaviour.
We expect that the vast majority of licensed premises will use
the extra flexibility responsibly. It is not compulsory to stay
open until 1am; it will be for each individual premises to decide
if they wish to take advantage of the extra hours. Previous
occasions of this nature have mostly seen good-hearted and
good-natured celebrations, and we look forward to this measure
being part of a great national celebration.
Question put and agreed to.
