Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of licensing laws in deterring retailers from supplying alcohol to individuals who are (a) visibly intoxicated and (b) known to be vulnerable due to addiction.

The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. Under this framework, businesses must hold a premises licence and comply with conditions designed to uphold the licensing objectives, including the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety.

It is already an offence under section 141 of the Act for a person to knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk, or to allow alcohol to be sold to such a person.

There are also substantial powers already available to licensing authorities to address irresponsible or illegal alcohol sales including reviewing a premises licence, imposing additional conditions, suspending a licence, or, in the most serious cases, revoking it.

The Government considers that the existing framework provides a robust set of tools to deal with irresponsible retailers, and there are no current plans to introduce additional penalties.