Wellington, July 30 NZPA - The Law Commission today released its issues paper into the sale and supply of liquor.

It made a range of suggestions around supply control, demand reduction and problem limitation summarised below:

SUPPLY CONTROLS

* Retain the four types of licences; on-licences, off-licences, club licences and special licences but remove exemptions for chartered clubs, police canteens, defence establishments, fire fighters' facilities and Parliament.

* Allow the Liquor Licensing Authority to refuse a licence on wider grounds such as the impact on communities, the location of the site and allow local communities input into decisions.

* Consider widening grounds for cancelling licences.

* Increase conditions, for example, limiting promotional activities, discounted promotions, and ensuring availability of free tap water.

* Boost the Liquor Licensing Authority (Licensing Authority) giving it additional powers to monitor trends and obtain data, make rulings on things like promotions, be able to impose fines for breaches on the act.

The commission said the authority should be under a District Court Judge.

* Restructure and enhance District Licensing Agencies and require better reporting, and more training for inspectors.

* For District Councils to have an alcohol policy.

* Change hours so all off-licences were legally required to close between 10pm and 8am and on-licences stop letting people in after 2am.

* A split purchase age -- leaving the minimum purchase age at on-licences at 18, and increasing the minimum purchase age at off-licences to 20 years.

* make it an offence for an adult to supply liquor to a young person unless it is a private social gathering and that adult has the consent of the young person's parent or guardian.

DEMAND LIMITATION

* Increase excise tax overall on alcohol or reduce it for low-alcohol products.

* Set a minimum price below which alcohol products cannot be sold by retailers -- a measure the Scotland government is developing.

* The Commission recommended leaving advertising issues with the Advertising Standards Authority but providing a regulation-making power in statute to be exercised if (in the view of ministers) the present system failed to promote responsible advertising.

* consider licence suspension or loss for irresponsible promotions;

* Consider whether separate restrictions around price and discount advertising would work.

PROBLEM LIMITATION

* More effort to enforce the law could be achieved by giving police ranked inspector or higher the power to close on-licence premises, increase penalties for offenders, have a greater range infringement notices for technical and minor breaches.

* Consider making it an infringement offence to drink in a public place.

* In cases where alcohol and other drugs may have contributed to offending, there should be greater consideration during sentencing of the need for alcohol and other drug assessment and treatment.

* The sector needed more funding and the workforce needed to be developed.

* Consider using alcohol ignition locking devices for repeat drink drivers,

* Reduce the blood alcohol limits from 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (0.08) to 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (0.05) for all drivers, with zero tolerance for all drivers under 20 years.

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