Proposed liquor laws need not penalise responsible consumers: Industry
Some retailers have voiced support for the Government's propsed Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Beverage alcohol retailers and manufacturers have raised concerns that the proposed law to restrict retail sale hours of alcohol would penalise the majority consumers who are responsible and want to enjoy the convenience of purchasing liquor for home consumption after 10.30pm.
In a joint response today (Jan 19), the industry players said instead that they supported the move to ban the consumption of alcohol in public places from 10.30pm to 7am, and noted that the strict enforcement of this measure would be the primary means of "mitigat(ing) social issues related to irresponsible public drinking and/or public congregation".
The release was issued by: beverage-alcohol retailers (7-Eleven, Cold Storage, Giant, Cheers Holdings, FairPrice) and manufacturers (Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore, Heineken Asia Pacific, Carlsberg Singapore and the Wine and Spirits Committee of the European Chamber of Commerce, which comprises Diageo, Bacardi-Martini, Moёt Hennessy Diageo Singapore, Pernod Ricard and Remy Cointreau), collectively known as “Industry”.
"In Singapore’s long-term interest, Industry strongly advocates a responsible culture in respect of liquor sale through the adoption of relevant voluntary actions," the group said, proposing instead six voluntary actions that retailers can take, namely:
1. Train and certify all retail store managers on the responsible sale of alcohol (“RSA”) within the first 12 months of the law coming into effect.
2. Mandate RSA in retailers’ internal audit processes.
3. Work with the Police to identify problem hot spots and introduce responsible measures at targeted stores.
4. Prominently display Industry-led communication at stores as deterrent to alert the public to new liquor restrictions and penalties.
5. Leverage in-store CCTV monitoring to identify and deter errant consumers.
6. Volunteer suspension of liquor retail sale license for an agreed period of time if a public liquor consumption offence is traced back to the retail store that failed to undertake and practice RSA and deterrent communication to consumers.
The industry players also suggested granting responsible retailers flexibility to extend liquor retail sale hours "by merit", saying it would send "a strong signal to the public that the government values responsible businesses".
Additionally, they have called on the Government to work in collaboration with them to develop a framework whereby businesses can understand the operational requirements under the intended new regulations.
Here is the full statement:
Industry sees merit in an island-wide time based restriction on liquor consumption in public places
Industry is supportive of the proposed Public-drinking Regulation as it shares the same concerns as the government about public disorder, safety and anti-social behaviour arising from public congregation and liquor consumption in public places.
To encourage compliance, particularly when the law is new, a high level and visible enforcement of the restriction on liquor consumption in public places is critical.
Industry supports call for an ecosystem of responsible liquor sale and consumption (the “Healthy Ecosystem”) via voluntary actions
Industry understands that the Liquor-sale Regulation aims to facilitate an ecosystem of liquor sale and consumption that does not compromise the effectiveness of the Public-drinking Regulation to address relevant social issues.
However, Industry believes that effectively addressing the relevant social issues need not result in disproportionately penalising responsible consumers who are the majority in Singapore and would enjoy the convenience of purchasing liquor for home consumption after 10:30 pm.
The strict enforcement of the Public-drinking Regulation will primarily mitigate social issues related to irresponsible public drinking and/or public congregation.
In Singapore’s long-term interest, Industry strongly advocates a responsible culture in respect of liquor sale through the adoption of relevant voluntary actions.
Industry is committed to developing a six-point programme that increases operational responsibility, supports enforcement of the new regulations and complements the Public-drinking Regulation. The programme comprises the following voluntary actions.
1. Train and certify all retail store managers on the responsible sale of alcohol (“RSA”) within the first 12 months of the law coming into effect.
2. Mandate RSA in retailers’ internal audit processes.
3. Work with the Police to identify problem hot spots and introduce responsible measures at targeted stores.
4. Prominently display Industry-led communication at stores as deterrent to alert the public to new liquor restrictions and penalties.
5. Leverage in-store CCTV monitoring to identify and deter errant consumers.
6. Volunteer suspension of liquor retail sale license for an agreed period of time if a public liquor consumption offence is traced back to the retail store that failed to undertake and practice RSA and deterrent communication to consumers.
Industry welcomes the flexibility to apply for an extension to liquor retail sale hours by responsible retailers.
Industry believes that granting responsible retailers the flexibility to extend their liquor retail sale hours by merit sends a strong signal to the public that the government values responsible businesses and serves only to encourage and strengthen the Healthy Ecosystem.
Timely clarity on how such flexibility can be achieved will reinforce the rationale for Industry actions to support the Public-drinking Regulation and mitigate any disproportionate effects of the Liquor-sale Regulation.
Industry seeks collaboration with the authorities on a framework to achieve the Healthy Ecosystem.
Industry calls on the government to collaborate on developing a framework whereby businesses can understand the operational requirements under the intended new regulations (in particular the Liquor-sale Regulation and the conditions under which liquor retail sale hours can be extended).
Industry proposes to leverage its six-point programme as the basis for commencing dialogue on detailing such a framework, which should be robust to ensure its continuing relevance in representing the interests of all relevant stakeholders.
Industry encourages the development of such a framework prior to the new regulations coming into effect so that Industry has time to phase in any changes and be operationally ready for the new regulatory environment.
A spokesperson for FairPrice, which owns NTUC FairPrice and Cheers convenience stores, also voiced the retailer’s support of the proposal.
Here is the full statement:
As a responsible retailer, FairPrice is supportive of the government’s proposal and social objectives behind restricting the consumption of liquor in public places and promoting responsible drinking, particularly at problem hotspots. Currently, FairPrice has 125 outlets and Cheers has 165 outlets to serve our customers. We expect Cheers to be more impacted should the proposal go through as it has more stores that operate 24 hours and anticipate that its outlets in the central and town areas which currently experience good alcohol sales to be the most affected by the proposed ban. With the new legislature, alcohol sales at the Cheers outlets may be affected by as much as 15 - 20%.
While the ban will help to prevent errant drinkers from causing inconveniences to the public, responsible customers may also be impacted as the restriction is applied to everyone. We will continue to work closely with MHA and industry partners to further determine how we can support the new legislation to restrict public consumption of liquor through responsible measures and operational services.
