National Licensing Forum

The motion

That the Parliament notes the establishment of the National Licensing Forum by the Scottish Executive on 22 June 2005; recalls that, in evidence to the Parliament’s Local Government and Transport Committee on 17 May 2005, the then minister responsible for licensing, Tavish Scott MSP, said that the Executive saw “the Forum being comprised of people who have a direct interest and understanding of the trade and related issues in alcohol and licensing reform” and that “if we do not get the balance right or if there is concern—from Parliament or any other quarter—that we have got the balance wrong or that we have missed someone out, we will reconsider the membership. We intend to come to a final view on that in the summer”; recognises that, of the twelve members of the National Licensing Forum, only one has current experience as an operator within the commercial on-trade despite the fact that these premises, including pubs, restaurants and hotels, account for nearly 11,000 of Scotland’s 17,000 commercially licensed premises; notes that it will be difficult for the members of the National Licensing Forum to comment meaningfully on issues affecting these sectors of the licensed industry without having this experience of operating on licensed premises, and calls for the Scottish Executive to review the membership of the National Licensing Forum as a matter of urgency to ensure that more individuals with experience of the pub, hotel and restaurant sectors are added to the forum’s membership.


No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

SNP 12 Con 2

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S2M-03154 by reference.