Off-sales Alcohol Purchases (Age Limit) (PE1187 and PE1191)
The petitions provide helpful evidence. Most of the people who have given evidence said that the age being 18 in one area and 21 in another would be confusing and would simply displace the problem. I would like to keep the petitions open until the bill is passed. There is considerably more debate to be had on the issue.
Does anybody want to do anything else? I see that Richard Simpson is happy to keep the petitions open because we are dealing with the issues.
Yes, I am happy to keep them open if others feel that way.
Indeed.
Unless there are any additional comments, we will keep them open during our evidence gathering.
Item 2 is consideration of PE1187, by Greig Muir, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to reconsider its plans to raise the age for off-sales alcohol purchases from 18 to 21; and PE1191, by Tom French, on behalf of the coalition against raising the drinking age in Scotland, which calls on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to drop its proposal to raise the age for off-sales alcohol purchases from 18 to 21.
It is appropriate to close the petitions on the ground that you suggested, convener. I make the additional comment that the Government has dropped its national plan for raising the age to 21 and, therefore, at least part of the petitioners’ call has already been answered. The proposal in the bill is to empower licensing boards to raise the age to 21 locally, if they so wish, so there is now no national policy to raise the age.
I do not agree. The Parliament still has to make that decision. That is what is in the bill.
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