Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill Call for Evidence and Views

The Committee for Communities would like to hear your views on the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill. The closing date has been extended until 18 January 2021.

Please note that the deadline for submissions expired on Monday 18 January 2021

Policy Objectives of the Bill

Following the Department for Communities consultation entitled “Liquor Licensing Laws in Northern Ireland”, which ended on 6 December 2019, the Department introduced the Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill in the NI Assembly on 19^th October 2020.

The main purpose of this Bill is to modernise liquor licensing laws by introducing a balanced package of measures aimed at tackling alcohol misuse and promoting responsible consumption, alongside measures which will provide vital support for the hospitality industry, and assist it in supporting tourism. The Bill’s aims mirror and expand on the previous Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill (2016), which was introduced in the Assembly in September 2016 but subsequently fell in January 2017.

Watch our video from Committee Chairperson, Paula Bradley MLA, who discusses some of the key elements of the new Bill. 

Submit your views

Use this link to complete our online submission template:

Licensing and Registration of Clubs (Amendment) Bill Online Submission Form

The online form is split into ten sections. Your response does not need to cover all the areas specified and can focus on those that are most relevant to you or your organisation. If you feel that some sections are not relevant to you, please leave them blank.

The sections are as follows:

1. The Policy Objectives of the Bill
2. Easter Opening Hours and Additional Permitted Opening Hours
3. “Drinking-up Time” and the Alignment of Alcohol and Entertainment Licences
4. Supporting Tourism, Special Events and Small Producers
5. Children and Young People (under the age of 18)
6. Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol-Related Harm
7. Regulation, Enforcement, Offences and Penalties
8. Resource Implications for Certain Organisations/Bodies
9. Registered Clubs
10. Additional Information

Within each section we have included links to each relevant Clause within the Bill. 

Where possible, please use this online form. However, if you would prefer to complete a form offline, you can download and complete a Word version. Responses should be sent electronically in Word format (not PDF) to the following address: Committee.Communities@niassembly.gov.uk

If you cannot submit electronically you may use the template to send in a hard copy written submission to:

The Committee Clerk,
Room 410, Parliament Buildings,
Ballymiscaw,
Stormont,
Belfast,
BT4 3XX.

The closing date for written submissions is Monday 18th January 2021.

Please note that in most cases your written submissions will be published on our website and may be quoted in the Committee's report or in Committee meetings (which are public and broadcast). If you would like to request that what you tell us is published without your name, please contact the Clerk at the following email address: Committee.Communities@niassembly.gov.uk or by calling 028 9052 1939. We will consider all requests for information to be treated anonymously. 

Before sending us your views, please read our privacy notice. This tells you how we process your personal data.