28 September 2011
The trade and national press have been awash with comment on the Scottish Government’s change in the law on underage alcohol sales. The change comes into force on 1 October 2011 and this e-mail is a quick reminder of what is involved.
With effect from 1st October 2011, operators must have an age verification policy in relation to the sale of alcohol on the premises.
Where it appears to the person selling the alcohol that a customer may be under the age of 25 years, the customers must be asked to produce identification to prove that they are over the age of 18 and can lawfully purchase alcohol.
For operators it is vital to make sure that all staff adhere to this “Challenge 25” requirement, as it is now a mandatory condition on all Scottish premises licences.
The following link directs you to the SBPA Challenge 25 web-site which gives very useful, practical information for use by Scottish licensed premises operators:
http://www.challenge25.org/index.html.