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The alcohol licensing laws of the United Kingdom regulate the sale and consumption of alcohol, with separate legislation for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland being passed, as necessary, by the UK parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and the Scottish Parliament respectively. Throughout the United Kingdom, the sale of alcohol is restricted—pubs, restaurants, shops and other premises must be licensed by the local authority. In England, Wales and Scotland the authority to sell alcohol is divided into two parts – the Premises Licence, which prescribes the times and conditions under which alcohol can be sold, and a Personal Licence which allows individuals to sell alcohol or authorise its sale by others. Every Premises Licence which authorises the sale of alcohol must also name a Designated Premises Supervisor (Designated Premises Manager in Scotland) (“DPS” or “DPM” for short) who must hold a valid Personal Licence – otherwise alcohol cannot be sold at that premises. The DPS has day-to-day responsibility for the sale of alcohol at licensed premises. Premises licences, in as far as they concern the sale of alcohol, can be categorised to include ''on-licences'' (allowing consumption of alcohol on the premises) and ''off-licences''. However, these distinctions are not explicitly made in the Licensing Act 2003, and the position in Scotland and Northern Ireland is more complex. Many on-licensed premises also permit off-sales. The age at which people are legally allowed to purchase alcohol is 18 in most circumstances. Adults purchasing alcohol on behalf of a person under 18 in a pub or from an off-licence are potentially liable to prosecution along with the vendor. However, legislation does allow for the consumption of alcohol by those under 18 in the following circumstances: # The individual is aged 5 or older,and is at home or other private premises. # The individual is aged 16 or 17 and the alcohol, which can only be beer, wine or cider, is consumed with a table meal. The person making the purchase must themselves be over 18 The Licensing Act 2003 thoroughly revised and consolidated into one Act all the many separate legislative provisions that previously covered licensed premises in England and Wales. The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 brought the same reforms to Scotland. The same reforms have been proposed for Northern Ireland, but have not been enacted; sale of alcohol there remains more strictly regulated than in Great Britain. ==History== In the mid-18th century, gin became extremely popular as it was much cheaper to buy than beer. This was known as the 'gin epidemic'. By 1740, six times more gin than beer was being produced, and of the 15,000 drinking establishments in London, half were gin-shops. The Gin Act 1736 imposed a prohibitively high duty on gin, but this caused rioting, and so the duty was gradually reduced and then abolished in 1742. The Gin Act 1751 was more successful: instead of a tax it restricted gin producers to selling only to licensed premises. During the 19th century, licensing laws began to restrict the opening hours of premises. The Sunday Closing (Wales) Act 1881 required the closure of all public houses in Wales on Sundays. After the outbreak of World War I the Defence of the Realm Act was passed by Parliament in 1914. One section of the Act concerned the hours pubs could sell alcohol, as it was believed that alcohol consumption would interfere with the war effort.〔Evans, Dean. ''The Ultimate Drinking Games Book''; Carlton Books Ltd. (Bristol, England) (1998) pg.298〕 It restricted opening hours for licensed premises to luncheon (12:00 to 14:40) and supper (18:30 to 21:30). In the late 1980s the licensing laws became less restricted and allowed pubs to allow the consumption of alcohol on the premises from 11:00 until 23:00,〔Evans, Dean. ''The Ultimate Drinking Games Book''; Carlton Books Ltd. (Bristol, England) (1998) pg.298〕 although nightclubs were allowed to stay open much later. Significantly revised rules were introduced in November 2005, when hour limits were scrapped, and pubs were allowed to apply for licenses as permissive as "24 hours a day".〔http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-10-17-london-bars_x.htm〕 In practice, most pubs chose to apply for more restrictive licenses. Traditionally, the phrase ''"Last orders!"'' is still often used to announce the last opportunity to purchase drinks, typically ten or fifteen minutes in advance and is often announced via a bell. At the point when the bar will no longer serve drinks, the bar staff will announce "''Time at the bar!''", or "''Time gentlemen please!''" (again, either shouted or via the use of a bell). The wartime restrictions in Scotland were not repealed until 1976 (possibly due to a stronger temperance movement there). However, the repeal of these laws led to a situation whereby Scottish laws were generally ''less'' restrictive, with local authorities being allowed to determine opening hours. Most Scottish pubs now open until midnight, though this is not universal. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alcohol licensing laws of the United Kingdom」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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