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The Nicholson Committee: Review of Liquor Licensing Law in Scotland
FOREWORD
I have great pleasure in presenting this Report on Liquor Licensing Law and Practice in Scotland, and I am happy to state that, subject to only one or two very minor reservations, the Report contains the unanimous views of all members of the Committee.
The preparation of the Report has been greatly assisted by a large number of people. In the first place there are the more than 200 organisations and individuals who have written to us with their views on possible reform. We have also held oral evidence sessions with representatives from 23 organisations, and we have had meetings with a range of other bodies such as the Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse, and Alcohol Focus Scotland. In addition we have had a number of meetings with young people, all of whom have spoken to us with great candour about the use, or abuse, of alcohol by people of their age. All of those have given us considerable assistance.
Thanks are also due to Professor Christopher Gane of Aberdeen University Law School. He read an early draft of Appendix C (which analyses the implications for licensing law of the European Convention on Human Rights), and he felt able to assure us that our thinking on that matter was running on correct lines. At the end of the day, however, the conclusions which are expressed in Appendix C are entirely our own.
Most importantly I wish to place on record my warm gratitude to all the members of the Committee. Coming, as they do, from a wide variety of relevant backgrounds they have contributed a wealth of experience and good sense to our deliberations. With great willingness and good humour they have responded without complaint to my demands for meetings or for responses to draft documents. Their contribution to this Report has been immense, and I am most grateful for their support and encouragement.
Thanks must also be given to our Secretariat, which was provided by the Justice Department of the Scottish Executive. Initially, our Secretariat consisted of three people - Alan Oliver, Peter Begbie, and Claire Newton. Claire was a very recent graduate entrant into the Civil Service and, not surprisingly given her obvious ability, after about a year she was promoted to a different post. During her time with the Committee, however, she displayed great diligence and gave us great assistance, often in the form of background notes on matters which she had researched at my request. Peter Begbie gave us general secretarial and administrative assistance throughout most of our existence as a Committee, though he too moved on to fresh challenges at the end of January 2003. Peter carried out his duties in a thoroughly efficient manner, and we wish him well in his new post. Alan Oliver, as the senior member of the Secretariat, has been with us throughout our existence as a Committee. His wise, and well-informed, counsel on a wide range of matters has been of great assistance to us, and we are most grateful for his contribution to our work.
Gordon Nicholson
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