News from Welsh Labour

Labour AM repeats call to raise off-licence age to 21

A Labour Assembly Member who wants Wales to debate raising the age limit for buying alcohol from off-licences and supermarkets, from 18 to 21, has reiterated her call following the publication of a Government strategy to deal with misuse of alcohol.

Lesley Griffiths, the AM for Wrexham, made her original call in June of this year, on whether the current age limit of 18 remained appropriate at a time when supermarkets and off-licences in Wales made cheap alcohol so easily available.

Her latest calls come following the publication of ‘Working Together to Reduce Harm’, the Welsh Assembly Government’s 10 year strategy for tackling the harms associated with the misuse of alcohol.

Currently, the law governing the sale and supply of alcohol is controlled by the Licensing Act 2003 and is not devolved to the Welsh Assembly Government.

In today’s Strategy, the Assembly Government said it will be press the UK Government for a ban on the sale of alcohol at petrol stations and introduction of separate areas for alcohol sales in supermarkets.

However, the Wrexham AM wants this policy to go further and raise the age limit from 18 to 21, for alcohol sales in off-licences and supermarkets in Wales.

Lesley Griffiths also believes the Assembly Government should also seek powers to introduce a Welsh specific licensing regime – one that addresses the specific problems that exist in Wales.

Commenting after the publication of the strategy, Lesley Griffiths AM said:

“It is clear to me that the Licensing Act 2003 is not delivering for Wales. I believe the Assembly needs to seek powers to enable us to implement a Strategy that will be Welsh-specific and I hope the Assembly Government consider doing this.

“The Government has also pledged in the Strategy, to set-up a working group that would involve the licensed trade in Wales. The group will consider what scope there is under the Government of Wales Act 2006, to enable licensing authorities in Wales to tackle the issue of alcohol misuse. I hope one of the first things on that group’s agenda will be to look raising the age limit to 21 in off-licences and supermarkets.”

Lesley Griffiths’ call earlier this year, came following the publication of a survey by the World Health Organisation that put Wales at the top of a list that found that more young Welsh people have been drunk at least twice by the age of 13, than anywhere else in Europe and North America.