Publications
Commercial
Litigation
5th November 2001
Modernising Scotland's Licensing Laws
A conference organised by McGrigor Donald and the Scottish Forum for Modern Government
Conference calls for an end to "bureaucratic",
"overly complicated" and "outdated" licensing regime.
Delegates at a packed conference on licensing
law reform held in Edinburgh on Monday 5 November 2001 called for a radical
overhaul of licensing laws in Scotland.
A comprehensive survey of delegates conducted by
Prof. Spicker of Robert Gordon's University found agreement on a number
of issues, primarily aimed at simplifying and updating the regime governing
the sale and supply of alcohol. To
view the results of the survey, click on the link below.
Link
to Prof. Spicker's questionnaire results.
Minister "committed…to
improving our licensing laws"
Iain Gray MSP, Deputy Minister for Justice at the Scottish Executive gave
the keynote address. Speaking to delegates from the private, public and
voluntary sectors, together with representatives of the emergency services
and others, the Minister argued that it was vital that reforms to Scotland's
licensing regime be carried through to reflect changes in society in the
generation since the last reforms.
Link
to the Minister's speech.
Sheriff Principal calls for evidence
Sheriff Principal Gordon Nicholson QC, the chairman of the Commission
set up by the Scottish Executive to review Scotland's licencing laws called
on delegates to the conference to submit the output of the day's event
to his team. Speaking to the conference he stated that he and his commissioners
were keen to take evidence from as wide a cross section of the community
as possible.
For
more details on the Nicholson Commission, click here.
Niall Scott sets out the agenda
Opening the conference, Niall Scott, Head
of Litigation at McGrigor Donald, set the scene for delegates. 'We
in McGrigor Donald are delighted to be able to work together today with
Capital Conferences, Scotland and with the Scottish Forum for Modern Government
of the Robert Gordon University to hold this conference.'
To read Niall Scott's speech, click here.
Speakers call for reform
In a session following on from the Minister's remarks, speakers from across
the licensed sector gave their perspective on reform.
| The
Licensing Board Cllr. Dougie Kerr, Licensing Covener, City of Edinburgh Council |
||
| The
Licensed Trade Paul Smith, Managing Director, Castle Leisure Group |
||
| The
Community Council Douglas Murray, Association of Scottish Community Councils |
||
| An
International Perspective Veronica Strachan. School of Public Admin & Law, The Robert Gordon University Aberdeen |
||
Workshops tackle key issues
The conference broke into workshops to discuss four key areas of concern:
· Children and
alcohol
· Licensing
red tape
· Pubs and clubs
· Fitness to hold a licence
Summaries from each of these workshops will be presented to the Nicholson
Commission.
The Scottish
Forum for Modern Government is part of the
School of Management at Robert Gordon's
University in Aberdeen. Click
here for more details.
McGrigor Donald and McGrigor Donald Public Policy represent a range of clients in the retail, leisure and licensed sectors.
For further information please contact
commerciallitigation@mcgrigors.com
or
publicpolicy@mcgrigors.com
McGrigor Donald's lawyers produce a variety of publications to help keep clients up to speed with legal developments in their industries.
