Team Member Handbook

Licensing Law – England & Wales

The Licensing Act (England & Wales) 2003 Due to different laws regarding licensing in England & Wales and Scotland, the required training for a server of alcohol is also different. If you are working in one of our Scottish businesses you will need to make sure you familiarise yourself with the Licensing Act (Scotland) 2005 which follows this section.

On the 24th November 2005 a new law came into effect across England and Wales which requires all premises, where a licensable activity is taking place, to be licensed by the local council. Once granted, a copy of the licence summary must be displayed so that everybody is aware of the hours and conditions. It is important that you make sure that you know where the licence is displayed and what conditions are listed. Personal Licences Some members of the team, as well as your Managers, may hold a Personal Licence. One of these people will be nominated as the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) who can then allow the sale of alcohol to take place. The DPS will normally be your Manager. If there is no DPS nominated at the premises then the sale of alcohol cannot take place. Servers of Alcohol Before you are allowed to serve alcohol you must attend a training session with one of the Personal Licence Holders who will explain your responsibilities in detail and then you will be required to sign a Licensing training record form. You are not allowed to serve alcohol until you have completed this training. You must also familiarise yourself with the content of the Licensing Act poster, a copy of which is contained in this e-Handbook. Responsibilities As a server of alcohol you accept certain responsibilities as part of your duties, and therefore it is essential that if you are ever in doubt about the correct procedures, you must speak directly to your Manager.

There are two principal responsibilities for serving alcohol which are: • Do not serve somebody who is under 18 • Do not serve somebody who has had too much to drink

Remember!

If you are caught doing either of these you face prosecution or being served with an £80 Fixed Penalty Notice as well as disciplinary action. This may result in the loss of your job.

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