Public Order (Bars and Clubs)

– in the House of Commons at 7:14 pm on 16 November 2005.

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Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.—[Mr. Alan Campbell]

7.16 pm

Photo of Mark Lancaster Mark Lancaster Conservative, North East Milton Keynes

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to address the House on what I consider to be a major problem within Britain's drinking culture, a view that I think is shared by many hon. Members on both sides of the House.

In Milton Keynes, we are only too aware of the dangers of glass bottles and glasses. In the early hours of last Christmas morning, one of my constituents, Blake Golding, was the victim of a brutal bottle attack while working as a doorman. At just 22 years of age, he was scarred for life while going to the aid of a colleague. That terrible incident could have been prevented if the attacker had not had access to a glass bottle. The terrifying fact is that bars and clubs have extremely dangerous weapons at arm's reach. A glass or bottle can be used by anyone to cause a great deal of harm to another individual.

On 14 June 2005, a campaign was set up by Blake's family and as a result 12,000 people, including hundreds of police officers, have signed a petition calling for a Government ban on glass drinking vessels in all late-night clubs and bars. The success of the campaign is testament to the determination of the Golding family and the support shown by our local newspaper, the Milton Keynes Citizen and Three Counties Radio. I hope to be able to increase awareness of the issue today, and to gain further support for such a change.

Unfortunately, this problem has remained largely unaddressed by successive Governments, yet we are talking about a readily available weapon that can cause much harm, as Blake's case has shown. In fact, glasses and bottles are the most common weapons used in violent assaults in the United Kingdom, which is no wonder when we consider how many drinks are served in glass containers. In the UK, over 5.6 billion pints of beer are served in bars, pubs and clubs a year, nearly 6.8 million bottles of beer, 4.2 million bottles of alcopops and 313,000 bottles of wine.

The risk associated with drinking glasses and bottles is being highlighted, but it takes cases such as Blake's to increase support for the proposed ban. Bar Mee in Milton Keynes became the first pub in the area to serve drinks solely in sturdy plastic glasses and bottles in a bid to reduce the horrifying number of bottle attacks. Milton Keynes council is proposing a motion to amend its licensing policy regarding this issue. It is also worth acknowledging the policy of Yates's bars nationwide, which already use shatter-proof plastic glass. We need to make that the case in all bars and clubs across the country.

The night-time entertainment districts of many towns and cities are expanding. Although that has economic benefits, it can be accompanied by an increase in crime and disorder because of the high concentration of pubs and clubs. Research shows that there is a link between alcohol consumption and violent behavior. A study by the Prime Minister's strategy unit suggests that 1.2 million incidents of alcohol-induced violence are reported every year.

According to the 2001–02 British crime survey, in 47 per cent. of all violent incidents, the victim described the assailant as being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the assault. Furthermore, 38 per cent. of stranger violence and 23 per cent. of acquaintance violence occurred in or around a pub or a club.

Photo of Peter Bone Peter Bone Conservative, Wellingborough

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way and congratulate him on securing a debate on such an important issue. He will know that in the adjacent constituency of Wellingborough, this is a huge issue, too. Does he agree that parents have two main concerns when their nearly adult children go off perhaps to Northampton on a Friday night to attend a club? They are worried first, about their children being in a car accident, and secondly, that they might be assaulted by some drunken yob in a club and come back home with dreadful injuries.

Photo of Mark Lancaster Mark Lancaster Conservative, North East Milton Keynes

My hon. Friend makes a valid point. Our constituencies neighbour each other and his constituents go not only to Northampton, but to Milton Keynes. I thank my hon. Friend for his valuable point.

More than half of all incidents of alcohol-related violence result in some form of injury. In a fifth of incidents, the perpetrator had a weapon that he threatened to use—usually a glass or a bottle. Figures obtained for Manchester show that one person is seriously wounded by a bottle every fortnight. Toughened glass is now being introduced in bars and clubs and serious assaults have fallen by up to 50 per cent.

Photo of Julie Morgan Julie Morgan Labour, Cardiff North

I congratulate the hon. Gentleman on securing this debate and I have great sympathy with what he is saying. May I draw his attention to the good work done by AMEC—the Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign—in Cardiff, and particularly to the work of my constituent, Professor John Shepherd, who works in the dental school at the Heath hospital and has campaigned for many years for the prevention of glass injury in pubs and clubs? He has succeeded in reducing the number of serious accident and emergency cases. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that recent proposals in Cardiff to compel some pubs and clubs to use plastic glasses after 11 pm and to introduce bottle banks in the city—getting the glass off the streets—represent a step forward that will further reduce the number of injuries in Cardiff?

Photo of Mark Lancaster Mark Lancaster Conservative, North East Milton Keynes

I agree with the hon. Lady, who makes a very good point. The work of Professor Shepherd is well known to me, as I believe that he has proposed a British standard for toughened glass. I would certainly welcome that measure.

In Glasgow city centre in 2003, there were 313 serious assaults, 81 of which involved glass bottles. Of those, 69 involved people being struck on the head with a bottle. Those are hugely worrying statistics and if we take account of the number of drinks served every year, we have to accept that if someone wants to act in a violent manner, one of the many bottles or glasses that are close to hand will be an easy choice of weapon. If those bottles and glasses were replaced with plastic, they would not be able to cause the damage that they do. Plastic bottles and glasses would allow for a safer drinking and social environment and a change to plastic could also lessen insurance premiums for pubs and clubs, as well as provide a safer working environment for bar staff to operate in—though those are just small benefits in comparison with the opportunity to save lives and prevent serious injuries.

Photo of Philip Hollobone Philip Hollobone Conservative, Kettering

I, too, congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this evening's Adjournment debate. I represent the Kettering constituency and Kettering is the nightclub capital of Northamptonshire. I believe that many of my constituents will welcome both the debate that he has started this evening and his proposals for change. Kettering general hospital has a major accident and emergency department and I believe that many health service staff will also welcome the proposals that he is advancing this evening.

Photo of Mark Lancaster Mark Lancaster Conservative, North East Milton Keynes

I thank my hon. Friend for his comments, though I would, of course, dispute the fact that Kettering is the nightclub capital of the midlands, as I like to think that Milton Keynes is—perhaps we should debate that at another time.

It is important to note that plastic bottles and glasses are recyclable. Britain's plastic bottles create 500,000 tonnes of waste every year, but many local councils now have recycling schemes that allow plastic to be reprocessed into various new products, including clothing and textiles.

The company Coors Brewers has also produced new containers made of reusable toughened plastic. They cost roughly the same as the traditional glass and are also unbreakable, which means that they cannot be smashed and used as dangerous weapons.

Glasgow city council is working towards becoming the UK's first glass-free city. In October, it introduced a compulsory ban on the sale of alcohol in glass bottles or containers in clubs. The conditions of that ban must be met by January 2006, and all other venues in Glasgow will be expected to follow suit within a year. Producers of top brands, including Stella, Budweiser, Foster's, Carling, Miller, Guinness and Tennants, support the principle behind that move, and I see no reason why the rest of the UK should not follow suit.

Unfortunately, despite positive steps by individual councils, bar chains and brewers, the Licensing Act 2003 merely calls for drinking establishments to look into adopting the use of toughened glass, but that substance cannot be used to produce bottles in the way that multilayered plastic can. In fact, the Government may be about to add to the problems with the implementation of the 2003 Act, which I and many others fear will lead to an explosion of binge drinking and antisocial behaviour.

The Association of Chief Police Officers claims that there is

"a strong link between the increase in disorder and the explosion of late-night premises".

A Home Office Research paper found that 39 per cent. of 18 to 24-year-olds are classified as binge drinkers. In 2003, moreover, 60 per cent. of binge drinkers admitted involvement in disorderly behaviour, compared to 25 per cent. of regular drinkers. Alcohol-related admissions cost the NHS £1.7 billion a year. The NHS and the police already face stretched budgets, and the police believe the cost to them of alcohol-related crime will exceed £1 billion.

Photo of Jeremy Browne Jeremy Browne Shadow Minister (Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs)

This subject is of particular constituency interest to me, as a young woman called Louise McClintock lost an eye in a glass incident in Taunton. She was also severely scarred by the attack. May I commend the Somerset police force's initiative called "Drink Safe, Be Safe"? The police have worked with bars and other organisations, particularly in Taunton, to improve the safety of drinking environments, and have encouraged the use of plastic bottles and glasses. I hope that both the hon. Gentleman and the Minister will find an opportunity to come to Taunton and see the excellent progress that is being made.

Photo of Mark Lancaster Mark Lancaster Conservative, North East Milton Keynes

I thank the hon. Gentleman for those comments. I used to enjoy my cider when I was at Exeter university, so I should be delighted to take up that offer.

Hospital staff have also raised concerns that the new licensing laws will lead to an increase in binge drinking and a rise in the number of assaults. Currently, 40 per cent. of accident and emergency admissions are alcohol related, and the proportion rises to 70 per cent. between midnight and 5 am.

An investigation into 24-hour drinking was carried out at Ninewells accident and emergency department in Dundee, where more flexible drinking hours already operate. Staff at Ninewells claimed that drink-related violence had got worse, with many more high-violence assaults resulting from people being involved in large fights. Many of the injuries sustained were caused by bottles and glass being used as weapons. That makes it even more crucial that we make it compulsory for clubs and bars to use only plastic glasses and bottles. We must do all we can to lessen the dangers to members of the public.

Photo of Charles Walker Charles Walker Conservative, Broxbourne

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing this excellent debate. Does he agree that much attention is rightly focused on the danger posed by knives, but that glass can be just as lethal and damaging to those against whom it is used?

Photo of Mark Lancaster Mark Lancaster Conservative, North East Milton Keynes

I agree, but there have been suggestions that, even if my proposals were adopted, violent people would still find weapons such as knives, and that attacks would still occur. It has been said that my proposals may not be the answer to the problem, and I agree that promoting the use of plastic bottles and glasses does not tackle the wider issue of why people act violently, or of why binge drinking is such a problem in the UK. However, I do not accept that we should therefore forget about a compulsory change to plastic glasses and bottles. The fact remains that using only plastic will remove potential weapons that can inflict a great deal of harm. We would be taking glass out of the equation. How can that be a bad thing?

There may be a short-term cost implication for manufacturers in a switch to plastic and I appreciate their concerns about that. It may require price increases, but surely those will be outweighed if serious injuries are prevented. It is a small price to pay for preventing the physical and mental damage that a glass attack can cause.

There have been proposals for new measures in venue management; for example, ensuring a quicker collection of empties or altering the atmosphere in clubs and pubs. Introducing such measures is not enough, as it would not completely remove the risk. There would still be an opportunity for glass attacks to occur, and I do not want to see another person suffer injuries like those of Blake Golding.

My proposed change could save people's lives and will reduce the injuries that are sustained annually through bottle attacks. It is important to remember that any innocent person could be the victim of a glass attack, so I believe that removing that threat will be widely welcomed by Members on both sides of the House. Much more needs to be done to decrease antisocial behaviour in the UK.

Photo of Russell Brown Russell Brown PPS (Rt Hon Alistair Darling, Secretary of State), Scotland Office, PPS (Rt Hon Alistair Darling, Secretary of State), Department for Transport

I concur with what the hon. Gentleman is saying and with his suggestions. The violence in those attacks is undoubtedly fuelled beforehand by alcohol, so does not the hon. Gentleman believe that licensees have a role to play and that responsible licensees will ensure that their customers do not get to the stage where they commit attacks?

Photo of Mark Lancaster Mark Lancaster Conservative, North East Milton Keynes

The hon. Gentleman makes a valid point. I do not suggest for a second that plastic is the only solution to the problem. It would form part of a number of measures and as he points out, the role of licensees would contribute to helping to reduce the violence.

I welcome anything that helps make pubs and clubs safer places to drink. It is important that we take these proposals forward now, rather than waiting till another person is scarred or, worse, killed as a result of an attack with glass.

Photo of Fiona Mactaggart Fiona Mactaggart Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office) 7:32, 16 November 2005

I congratulate Mr. Lancaster on securing this important debate, and I am glad to have an opportunity to discuss the issues he raised. I thank him for liaising with Home Office officials on the issue, which has been raised by several Members, as was reflected in their interventions describing their constituency experiences.

All Members present will want to join me in offering regrets and sympathies to Blake Golding and, in a way, our thanks for the fact that some good has come out of a terrible event, in the sense that we have been encouraged to campaign on this important matter and to address the consequence of glass being used as a weapon in cases such as those described by the hon. Gentleman and Mr. Browne. I particularly pay tribute to the way in which Blake Golding's parents, Robert and Marjorie, conducted their campaign following the incident. I saw Marjorie on television this morning and she said that her son's life had been turned upside down. There is a duty on Government to act effectively to ensure that nobody else's life is turned upside down. How do we do that?

Let us look at what is happening already. In Milton Keynes, partly as a result of the Goldings' campaign, the community safety partnership has a violence thematic subgroup, which is currently considering the introduction of plastic vessels in pubs and nightclubs. I am especially pleased to learn that the partnership will be participating in the alcohol misuse enforcement campaign that has just been announced, and to which my hon. Friend Julie Morgan referred.

The local police in Milton Keynes must also be commended for their overall approach to tackling the problem of alcohol-related violent crime and disorder. I understand that their proactive and targeted approach led to a reduction in public place violence offences of 39 per cent. between April and September 2005, compared with the same period in 2003, which is an impressive statistic. I believe that the proactive use of CCTV and fixed penalty notices has helped to contribute to that reduction. If alcohol misuse is going to be tackled effectively, full use needs to be made by all partners of the wide range of powers available.

Of course the police have an important role to play in preventing alcohol-fuelled disorder, but the drinks industry has an equally important role. As the hon. Member for North-East Milton Keynes pointed out, Bar Mee in Milton Keynes has undertaken to serve customers using only plastic vessels in future.

Milton Keynes local authority is currently discussing the issue and has an item for consideration by its licensing committee on 24 November in which it is proposed that licences should include a requirement

"to ensure that . . . all drinking vessels in which drinks are served throughout the entire trading period shall be made of either toughened glass, or a plastic material that does not break into sharp pieces . . . no drink shall be served in a glass bottle".

How can Milton Keynes do that? It is doing that on a notable day—the day on which the Licensing Act 2003, which the hon. Gentleman took the opportunity to try to defeat yesterday, comes into force. That can be done because of the powers in that Act. He is wrong to claim that the 2003 Act empowers local authorities to turn only to toughened glass. It empowers local authorities, such as Milton Keynes, which covers his constituency, not merely to require that toughened glass is used, but to put in place a requirement as part of its licensing regime that plastic vessels be used.

One of the reasons the Association of Chief Police Officers welcomed the introduction of the 2003 Act is that it provides the capacity to target and to develop locally appropriate licensing regimes.

Photo of Charles Walker Charles Walker Conservative, Broxbourne

Does the Minister believe that the Licensing Act 2003, which is due to come into force on 24 November, will reduce the overall incidence of alcohol-related violent crime in the year after its introduction? If it does not, will a Minister or two consider resigning?

Photo of Fiona Mactaggart Fiona Mactaggart Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

I am going to continue to show how we have built on to the framework of the Licensing Act, to intervene effectively if violence increases as a consequence of late-night drinking. If the hon. Gentleman will give me time to proceed to the further legislative measures that we are introducing, I hope that he will recognise that the Conservative party was mistaken in its attempt to get rid of the way in which what the hon. Member for North-East Milton Keynes rightly referred to as an historically unaddressed issue—glass bottles—can be dealt with effectively.

The 2003 Act gives more power than ever before to local licensing authorities to manage premises that are offered licences. It now includes provisions that enable the police to close instantly for up to 24 hours licensed premises where disorder is occurring or is imminent and presents a danger to people there. The police may extend the period of closure until the courts can take responsibility for the matter. The courts may further extend the period of closure until the licence has been reviewed by the licensing authority.

Following a review hearing, the licensing authority is given substantial powers to act where it is necessary to promote the prevention of crime and disorder and public safety. For example, it may add new conditions to the licence, such as requiring a ban on the sale of alcohol in bottles and on the removal from the premises of bottles and open vessels, such as beer glasses, and requiring alcohol to be served in plastic containers or toughened glass. Such conditions might apply at certain times of the day or on certain days of the week. They are all included as possible conditions in the guidance that the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport issued to licensing authorities, with the approval of Parliament, in July 2004.

Local licensing authorities can decide to add conditions to new or varied licences. Virtually all premises that have sought variations to the licences during the transitional period between the old and the new licensing regimes have had new conditions attached to their licences that have often been promoted by the police. Again, the conditions have drawn on the guidance issued by the Secretary of State as appropriate and necessary.

If licence conditions are breached following a review, the licensing authorities have strong powers to suspend licences for between one day and three months, or to revoke a licence permanently. Premises licence holders may also be prosecuted for breaching their licence conditions and can face sentences of a fine not exceeding £20,000, or imprisonment for up to six months, or both. The Licensing Act 2003 gives local authorities the power to target premises that have problems with alcohol-related violent crime and disorder and to attach conditions to their licences.

I believe that those tools are important and that the introduction of a blanket ban through primary legislation would be disproportionate for areas that do not require such action. Nevertheless, we have toughened the regime that is available to deal with glass being used as a weapon as a result of alcohol-fuelled violence.

The Violent Crime Reduction Bill builds on the foundation that I have described. In January 2005, the Government published a consultation paper, "Drinking Responsibly: The Government's Proposals". It set out several proposals for helping to tackle the problems of alcohol misuse, including plans for introducing drinking banning orders and powers for local authorities and the police to designate alcohol disorder zones and to charge licensed premises for the cost of dealing with alcohol-related crime and disorder. Drinking banning orders will bar people who have too much to drink and then commit crime or behave in a disorderly manner from licensed premises within a certain locality for a period between two months and two years.

On 8 June, we introduced the Violent Crime Reduction Bill. The Bill completed its proceedings on Report and Third Reading this week—on 14 November 2005. The Bill includes a comprehensive package of measures that are aimed at combating violent crime, of which the proposals to deal with alcohol-fuelled violent crime are part.

I would like to highlight one of the new powers in particular because I believe that it is relevant to the issues that the hon. Member for North-East Milton Keynes raised. There will be a new police power to require an expedited review of an alcohol licence. An expedited review is a mechanism by which the police can apply to the local licensing authority for the review of a premises licence if premises are associated with serious crime or disorder. Let us make no mistake: an incident of someone being stabbed in the face with a glass or a bottle amounts to serious crime or disorder.

The process allows interim steps pending a review to be taken against premises within 48 hours of the receipt of an application. The licensing authority must undertake to review the licence within 28 days of receipt of the application. Interim steps can include attaching conditions to the licence, such as the need to use plastic vessels or toughened glass. Although it is possible for the police to apply for licence reviews under the Licensing Act, the Violent Crime Reduction Bill will allow the police to make a rapid response to tackle serious crime and disorder. The measure will be a vital tool for the police and licensing authorities throughout the country when dealing with alcohol-related violent crime and disorder.

The hon. Gentleman referred to the role of the industry. It has a vital role to play in minimising the risks of alcohol misuse. In individual establishments, there is a wide range of steps that can usefully be taken to minimise the risk of such injuries, including educating customers, licensees and staff about the possible dangers arising from the careless use of glass, ensuring that bar staff are diligent in collecting empty bottles and glasses, thus reducing the possibility of accidental harm, and ensuring that licensees and door staff keep a tight rein on their bottles and glasses and prevent them from being removed so that they cannot cause injury or other problems to people leaving the premises.

I am pleased with the efforts made by the drinks industry to promote the use of toughened glass in pubs and clubs. The industry estimates that between 80 and 90 per cent. of pubs and clubs use toughened glass as a standard. It is pleasing that brewers are now beginning to use bottles that are made of toughened plastic—the hon. Gentleman referred to the work of Coors in that regard. In addition, there is an important role for local authorities to play in helping to manage the night-time economy. That includes ensuring that sufficient secure bottle banks are provided in the right locations and emptied regularly to provide a safe place for bottles to be disposed of when, for example, they are confiscated by the police. That helps to reduce the risk of bottles being used as weapons.

I acknowledge that the problems of alcohol misuse are especially present on the streets. Responsibility for ending the binge-drinking culture lies with the individual as much as, if not more than, it lies with the industry and licensed premises. Extensive use has been made of the fixed penalty notice for disorder scheme for alcohol-related offences, and a range of other tools have been used to tackle problems of alcohol misuse in the public space.

As I said, through the Violent Crime Reduction Bill we are introducing a new civil order—a drinking banning order—which will be available to the courts to use to protect people and their property from criminal or disorderly conduct by an individual when under the influence of alcohol. The Bill also provides new powers for the police and local authorities to designate alcohol disorder zones as a last resort where other methods have been tried to tackle alcohol-related crime and disorder but have not worked. That will enable the police and local authorities to require licensed premises to undertake measures to prevent alcohol-related violence, including the use of toughened glass and plastic bottles, and to charge for individual enforcement services. The measures in the Bill will complement—

The motion having been made after Seven o'clock, and the debate having continued for half an hour, Madam Deputy Speaker adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.

Adjourned accordingly at fourteen minutes to Eight o'clock.