Member

Amendment 42 builds on that principle of fairness and practicality. It asks the Secretary of State to review, within six months of the Act’s passage, the merits of a joint licensing scheme for tobacco and alcohol. This is not about delaying the rollout of the system, and it is certainly not about obliging a retailer selling one type of product but not the other to have a joint licence; it is about coherence. The reality is that many of the same retailers that will fall under this new tobacco licensing regime are already extensively regulated under the alcohol licensing framework. They already conduct staff training, record-keeping and age-verification procedures. There is, therefore, a strong case for examining, where appropriate, whether the two systems can be better aligned. This would have several benefits: it would reduce duplication, streamline processes and cut unnecessary compliance costs for those who are already playing by the rules. Those are benefits for both government and business: more efficient enforcement, a reduced administrative burden and clearer lines of accountability.