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Alcoholic Drinks: Young People

Volume 486: debated on Thursday 15 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) individuals and (b) establishments have been prosecuted for selling alcohol to under-age people in (i) Stockport Metropolitan borough, (ii) Greater Manchester and (iii) the North West in each of the last five years. (246070)

The number of persons and other defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to selling alcohol to under age persons in the Greater Manchester police force area and the North West region, from 2003 to 2007, the latest available, are given in table 1. The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) issued to persons for this offence are given in table 2 from 2004, when the scheme commenced, to 2007.

The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

Data collected centrally are available at police force area level only; therefore data for Stockport Metropolitan borough cannot be supplied.

Table 1: The number of persons and the number of other defendants1 proceeded against at magistrates' courts foroffences relating to selling alcohol to under age persons2 in the Greater Manchester Police Force Area and the North West Region3, 2003-074,5,6

Greater Manchester Police force Area

North West Region

Proceeded against

Proceeded against

Persons

Other

Persons

Other

2003

125

4

205

6

2004

179

1

241

1

2005

117

238

2006

159

1

232

1

2007

35

97

1 Figures for Other includes: Public bodies, companies, organisations

2 Data includes the following offence descriptions and corresponding statutes:

Holder of occasional permission or his agent knowingly selling to, knowingly allow consumption by or allowing any person to sell, intoxicating liquor to a person under 18. Selling etc intoxicating liquor to person under 18 for consumption on the premises.

Licensing (Occasional Permissions) Act 1983 Schedule (Sec 3) para 4(1). Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169(1).

Sale of alcohol to a person under 18

Licensing Act 2003 S.146(l)

Wholesaler selling intoxicating liquor to a person under 18.

Licensing Act 1964 Sec 181A(1) as added by Licensing Act 1988 Sec 17.

Allow sale of alcohol to an individual under 18.

Licensing Act 2003 Sec 147(1) & (5)

3 Includes, Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside police force areas.

4 These data are on the principal offence basis.

5 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces.

As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

6 The Licensing Act 2003 came into force on 24 November 2005.

Source:

Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Evidence and Analysis Unit.

Table 2: The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) issued to persons for "sale of alcohol to persons under 18" in the Greater Manchester Police Force Area and the North West Region1, 20042 to 20073.

Greater Manchester Police Force Area

North West Region

2004

32

2005

127

462

2006

211

615

2007

141

572

1 Includes, Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside police force areas.

2 Commencement of the PND scheme.

3 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source:

Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Evidence and Analysis Unit.