Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23524 on Licensing Laws, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of permitting pubs to continue to sell take-away pints without requiring a variation of their premises licence.

The previous Government explored the feasibility of creating a unified consent regime that would grant businesses a pavement licence and the ability to sell alcohol for consumption there. Unifying the two regimes did not prove workable; the then Government launched a consultation on alternative options in May 2024.

This Government is carefully considering the results of the consultation and will publish the results imminently alongside next steps.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is responsible for pavement licences. We support the use of pavement licences to encourage better use of outdoor space on our high streets, supporting businesses and revitalising spaces communities use. We have no plans to change the existing streamlined application process.