Liquor Licensing Statistics Scotland 2012-13
11 Mar 2014 09:49 AM
A National Statistics Publication for Scotland.
Scotland’s Chief Statistician yesterday released Liquor Licensing Statistics Scotland 2012-13. This is being released as a web table showing information on premises and personal licences in force, applications, reviews/proceedings as well as numbers of licensing standards officers employed.
The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 came fully into force in September 2009 and this release reflects the third full year of operation under the new licensing arrangements.
The overall number of premises licences in force on 31 March 2013, at just over 16,200, showed a relatively flat trend across the last three years, falling only slightly compared with March 2012.
It is difficult to meaningfully compare totals from the most recent three years against historic numbers due to changes in the way licences are administered under current licensing arrangements - for instance, single licences for premises which were previously subject to multiple licences and registered clubs coming under the responsibility of licensing boards rather than sheriff courts. In addition, most local authority licensing boards have put in place new IT systems to manage the implementation of the 2005 Act. There may therefore be some issues of comparability between the early years of the new arrangements although this will continue to lessen as more and more years of data becomes available.
Some of the other main findings from the data are:
• Seventy per cent of premises licences in force at March 2013 related to licences which allowed for on sales transactions, with the remaining 30 per cent related to off-sales only.
• Just under half (44 per cent) of applications received for premises licences in 2012-13 were for off-sale only.
• Three per cent of applications for premises licences under section 23 of the 2005 Act in 2012-13 were refused.
• Scottish local authorities employed a full-time equivalent of 62 licensing standards officers at March 2013, two fewer than a year earlier.
The figures released today were produced by independent statistical staff free from any political interference, in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
Notes to editors
Background
Key changes introduced by the Licensing (Scotland) 2005 Act include:
-
-
Replacing all previous licence categories with a single premises licence and a personal licence and occasional licence
-
Inclusion of premises operating plans and layout plans with licence applications
-
Personal licensees must hold an accredited licensing qualification
-
Mandatory training for staff who sell or serve alcohol
2. Under Section 23 of the 2005 Act, a licensing board is required to hold a hearing for the purpose of considering and determining an application for as premises licence.
It should be noted that most local authority licensing boards have put in place new IT systems to manage the changes in procedure and, with the gradual bedding in of these systems, data quality has continued to improve over time. As a result, a number of local authorities have produced, in addition to their 2012-13 figures, revised figures for 2011-12, particularly for numbers of personal licences.
3. This is a National Statistics release for Scotland. Official and National Statistics are produced to professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that they meet customer needs and are produced free from political interference. More information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland can be accessed at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About