Death shows urgent need to revise alcohol legislation

THE hugely unfortunate and regrettable death of Graham Parish through alcohol has provided a timely reminder to revisit alcohol policy.

The existing legislation predates our current state of culture and tradition as regards consumption of alcohol, and therefore it is not sustainable to leave it in place for any longer. A revised legislation needs to cater for the rights and responsibilities of venues and bar staff when serving beverages to punters, and to provide a legal premise for refusal of alcohol.

In similar vein, alcohol licensing needs to be revised overall, particularly as regards nightclubs. If done correctly it would address the concerns already laid out by both publicans and operators of nightclubs (Which seem to have fallen on deaf ears). There is a need for later licensing hours and a change to the overall licensing system, in particular licences pertaining to nightclubs and late bars, which currently pay an excessive licence fee per night. Such a change would bring a notable economic benefit, not only for the state but also for punters and operators of venues alike.