Lowering the voting age will have no impact on the definition of children in the Licensing Act 2003. There is no single definition of the age at which someone becomes an ‘adult’ in the UK; the idea of 18 being the ’standard’ age of adulthood is a misconception. People can work part time from 14, donate blood at 17, and adopt at 21.

Decisions about classifying films are made by the British Board of Film Classification at arm's length from the government to ensure impartiality. The BBFC’s age ratings are continually updated to respond to changing social attitudes towards media content through public consultation and research.

The Licensing Act 2003 provides the legal framework for the sale and supply of alcohol in England and Wales. The regulatory regime provided by the Act is underpinned by four core licensing objectives, one of which is the protection of children from harm. License holders are expected to uphold the licensing objectives and Licensing Authorities have substantial powers available to them to address irresponsible or illegal alcohol sales. This includes reviewing a premises licence, imposing license conditions, suspending a licence or, in the most serious cases, revoking it.

It is also an offence under section 141 of the Act for a person to knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is underage, or to allow alcohol to be sold to such a person. As such, the Government considers that the existing framework provides a robust set of tools to deal with irresponsible retailers.

Through the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, the Government has conferred new licensing functions on the Mayor of London and the Greater London Authority. This is to enable a more coherent, city-wide approach to licensing decisions across the capital to support the hospitality industry and nighttime economy

The Government has also published a first iteration of a National Licensing Policy Framework setting out a strategic vision for a modern licensing system across England and Wales. This will support a more strategic approach to licensing in other Mayoralties while the new measures are piloted in Greater London.

The Government regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders to keep the Licensing Act 2003 under review and is confident that it continues to provide a clear and effective legislative framework for regulating licensable activities.

The Government published a new National Licensing Policy Framework in November to provide further guidance to applicants and local licensing authorities on striking the right balance between providing safeguards to prevent nuisance, crime and disorder while promoting growth and recognising the contribution licensed premises make to our hospitality sector and to thriving night-time economies.

We continue to work closely with licensing practitioners to ensure the regime remains fit for purpose and responds to emerging challenges. Using the powers already in place within the regime we will shortly be legislating for national licensing hours extensions to allow fans to celebrate England and Scotland team successes at the men’s football World Cup this summer.

The Licensing Act 2003 provides only for statutory guidance to be issued under section 182, which is limited to guidance on the exercise of functions within the Act and the promotion of the four licensing objectives. The National Licensing Policy Framework (NLPF) supports wider regeneration and wider economic objectives that sit outside the scope of section 182 guidance and do not override the statutory licensing framework.

The Government is keeping the effectiveness of the NLPF under review and is considering how best to strengthen its impact within the existing legislative framework, should it not have the desired effect.

Local authorities are responsible for the administration of business rates, including decisions on the awarding of and eligibility for various reliefs. Guidance for local authorities on the administration of the pubs and live music venues relief 2026 to 2027 was published on 18 February 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here (attached). It is for local authorities to determine whether individual properties meet the definitions contained within the guidance to be eligible for the Pubs and Live Music Venues relief.

As set out in the local authority guidance, the government will fully reimburse billing authorities and major precepting authorities for their loss of income under the business rates retention scheme as a result of awarding the relief.

The effect of the growing no and low alcohol products market on alcohol consumption and public health is still emerging. The World Health Organization’s 2023 report A Public Health Perspective on zero-and low alcohol beverages consolidated the available scientific evidence, but the evidence base continues to grow and there have been several academic studies published since. The World Health Organization’s report is available at the following link:

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240072152

There are also several academic studies underway investigating the effects of no and low alcohol beverages (NoLo), including a National Institute for Health and Care Research funded No/Lo Project, titled Evaluating and responding to the public health impact of no and low alcohol drinks: A multi-method study of a complex intervention in a complex system, which is being conducted by the University of Sheffield. The researchers will, as part of the wider research, ask different groups, including young people, about their experiences with NoLo drinks. Further information on the study is available at the following link:

https://sarg-sheffield.ac.uk/projects/no-lo-project/

The Department will continue to monitor the emerging evidence from these and other studies about the impact of NoLo products on children and young people.

The Home Office does not maintain a separate budget line for activity under the Licensing Act 2003. Relevant costs, including staff time in the policy team and contributions from legal and analytical colleagues are absorbed across wider departmental budgets.

Identifying the total annual expenditure for each year since 2019-20 would require a manual review of records across multiple teams and systems. The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.