Licensing Act 2003 (UEFA Women’s European Football Championship Licensing Hours) Order 2025

Considered in Grand Committee

16:17:00

Moved by

That the Grand Committee do consider the Licensing Act 2003 (UEFA Women’s European Football Championship Licensing Hours) Order 2025.

My Lords, I move seamlessly from investigatory powers to the European football championships, as is the wont of the Home Office. This order was laid before Parliament on 15 May. The summer brings with it the UEFA European Women’s Championship 2025, or the women’s Euros, as we like to call it. It will be held in Switzerland and, happily, both the women’s football team of England and of Wales have qualified and will be competing in this important tournament. Accordingly, I bring before your Lordships a proposal to allow the extension of licensing hours in the event—as we very much hope—that one or both teams progress to the semi-finals, scheduled for 22 and 23 July, or the final, scheduled for 27 July. Do not ask me to choose between England, where I was born, or Wales, where I live and have represented in Parliament. Section 172 of the Licensing Act empowers the Secretary of State to make an order permitting the relaxation of licensing hours to mark occasions of exceptional international, national and local significance. I hope that, in the event of a semi-final place or a final place, or both, for the home nations in this major international competition, that would constitute such an occasion. There will be interest in and excitement around the tournament, and fans will want to congregate to support and, I hope, give a cheer to—verbally and in a glass—the English and Welsh participation in the semi-finals and/or final. The decision to lay this draft order follows a public consultation that the Home Office undertook earlier this year. A majority of respondents—87%—supported the proposed extension of licensing hours for the semi-final, and 3% fewer, for reasons unbeknown to me, said that the final should also have that extension. Respondents agreed with the proposed duration of the extension—until 1 am—and supported its application to both England and Wales. There was also consensus that the extension should apply only to the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises. Therefore, establishments that serve on the premises will be permitted to remain open until 1 am on the evenings of the semi-finals, which are scheduled for 22 and 23 July, and on the evening of the final, on 27 July, without—this is the important thing—the need to submit a temporary event notice. This will reduce the administrative burden on both businesses and local councils, saving time and resources for all involved but reaching the same conclusion where extensions can be made. It is important to note that this extension applies solely to the sale of alcohol for on-premises consumption after 11 pm. It does not extend to premises licensed only for off-sales, such as supermarkets and off-licences. Furthermore, establishments that provide late-night refreshment—this is defined as the supply of hot food or drink to the public between 11 pm and 5 am—but do not hold a licence to sell alcohol for on-site consumption will not be covered by this order. Such premises may continue to provide late-night refreshment until 1 am only if their existing licence already permits them to do so. It is important that we recognise that police representatives are always concerned about the potential for increased crime and disorder. Operational decisions on deployment and resourcing are matters for individual forces. I am confident that the appropriate measures will be taken to mitigate any risks, as has been the case during previous tournaments. There have not been any significant incidents of large-scale disorder linked to licensing extensions, and this is testament to the licensees, the police service and the Great British public, who manage these things in a responsible way. The noted changes in this order include a modest, time-limited extension of two hours, which is, I think, proportionate. Should neither of the England or Wales women’s teams reach the semi-finals—and therefore not reach the final either—the normal licensing hours will remain in effect on 27 July. The forthcoming tournament will generate significant interest and excitement. I hope for success for England and Wales. It is for that reason that we have brought this order forward, to allow the Great British public to enjoy an extra glass, should they wish to do so, in a licensed premises. I wish both teams the best of luck and commend the order to the Committee.

My Lords, I welcome this order, but I should go over the background from which I speak. I was the chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association at the time of the then Licensing Bill. I spent many happy hours debating the Bill with the then Minister, Kim Howells, and with somebody called Vernon Coaker, who was at the time the Home Office Minister responsible for law and order in relation to licensing. I have therefore been through this whole process. I was party to the original legal application before the High Court to change the law in relation to licensing hours and the whole question of TENs as it related to the men’s World Cup in Japan and South Korea. At that point, the then Lord Chief Justice, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Woolf, changed the law and made it possible for licensed premises to change their hours with a degree of flexibility. However, the issue has always remained a problem because the police and the licensing authorities were given powers—one might almost describe them as delayed powers—so that they could object to certain licensed premises if they were concerned about some form of order being maintained at that particular premise. Of course, given the development of major sporting events concurrently with the development of modern technology, what was relatively new for the men’s football World Cup in Japan and South Korea some 20-plus years ago is now absolutely part of our lives. People respond quickly to major sporting events; this order is specifically intended to address that issue. It is probably appropriate that it should apply to just the semi-finals and the final, but I have my doubts, as I say, because of the rise in interest in international sporting events, particularly women’s sporting events. Interest in and attendance levels at women’s football matches are rising at an incredible speed, so I have some doubts as to whether it should be for just the semi-finals and the final, but we will have to wait and see. There is another major sporting event this summer, of which the noble Lord, Lord Addington, and I will be deeply conscious. An indication of the growth of interest in women’s sport is that I am sure he and I will be tomorrow at the launch of the Women’s Rugby World Cup with the Speaker of the House of Commons. The Women’s Rugby World Cup is taking place from 22 August through to its conclusion on 27 September. We wish all the relevant teams the best success in that. The RFU has the objective of filling Twickenham on 27 September for the largest attendance ever at a female rugby match. Given that that event takes place partly during our recess and that the police and licensing authorities will need to be responsive, have the Government and the department given serious consideration to what action needs to be taken with an order should similar circumstances arise only a few days or weeks after the Summer Recess? As the Minister indicated, part of the problem that arose last time was that some licensing authorities were not as speedy in responding to the requests of the public. Ministers had to make appeals asking them to please be helpful; some were and some were not, but we do not want to go through that process again. It is specifically for that reason that we have this order today. That makes sense, but I am concerned that, only a few weeks after this event, we will have another major sporting event and, in this case, it will take place all over this country—unlike the football tournament that we are discussing, which is taking place in another part of Europe. Could the Minister please clarify, either today or imminently, that there will not be a need for a similar order in similar circumstances only a few weeks away? If there is, we should bring that forward before the Summer Recess.

My Lords, my friend the noble Lord, Lord Hayward, has made all the points that I was going to make, except with more technical details, so I shall not delay the Committee very long. The fact is that these major women’s events have proven that they can attract large crowds. They are slightly different crowds with a slightly different dynamic—one is probably slightly politer and better behaved—but whether that is positive or negative I will let others judge. There is one basic point behind this: will there be set criteria to get this extension through? Getting it through is important, and this would mean that the political establishment is a little more ready to respond and able to put pressure on the Government to make sure that it happens. When we have these events, particularly when we are enjoying success, how are we getting ready to celebrate? The growth of women’s sport is a huge bonus to our country, and women’s sport on television seems to encourage grass-roots participation. The great failure of the Olympics—a major, wonderful event—is that it did not affect the grass roots. Women’s team games have encouraged growth in both association and rugby union football, both of which have enjoyed success. In both tournaments, the seeding means that we should have British teams in the finals or later stages.

16:30:00

Can we get a little background on the process of assessment? Having a celebration, controlled properly, is a good idea, and I congratulate the Government on doing something on it, but can we get a little more on the criteria? I know the Minister gave us some of the criteria, but could he expand upon the idea behind why we are doing it? This will also apply to the men’s game, but particularly for women’s sports and smaller sports, what are we actually getting out of it? We might be happier doing this, which is something positive, if we knew the criteria and what happens and made sure we are a little more responsive—if anybody pays any attention to what we are saying today; let us face it, we are not exactly mob-handed. Going through this would help, but I am in favour of the order.

My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing this instrument. In the coming weeks, we will be preparing to support our home nations in what will be a proud moment for Britain. The 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship will be held in Switzerland. I am delighted that, this year, both the England and Wales women’s national teams have qualified for this prestigious moment. For Wales, this monumental occasion will mark the first time they have qualified at the European Women’s Championship. For our defending champions, England, this will be their 10th appearance at the competition. If I may say so, in the spirit of good internation relationships, I wish both teams well, and both are to be congratulated on having the opportunity to appear there. We must recognise the symbolic significance of historical moments such as this for future generations of female footballers and athletes. Last year, the Football Association reported a 56% increase in the number of women and girls playing football. Between 2020 and 2024 alone, the number of female coaches rose by 88% and the number of referees increased by 113%. That is why it is essential for us to support the statutory instrument introduced today, which proposes a temporary extension of licensing hours across England and Wales should either or both teams progress to the semi-finals or the final. The extension of the licensing hours comes after overwhelming support from a Home Office consultation. Under the instrument, the normal licensing requirements of submitting a temporary event notice application and the £21 fee to the local authority will not apply. The extension will apply only to the sale of alcohol for consumption on the premises, such as bars and pubs, but will not be applicable to off-trade premises, including supermarkets and off licences. We must recognise that this occasion is one that can help support local pubs in England and Wales, many of which have faced challenges over recent years, with an unprecedented number of closures. During the Lioness’s 2022 triumph, a peak of 17.4 million viewers tuned into the BBC1 programme, making it the most watched women’s football game on UK television. An additional 5.9 million viewers streamed the game online to watch on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app. Not only will the extension of licensing hours help boost business for pubs and bars but it will allow them to accommodate the increase in demand during these key tournament dates. Fundamentally, this is an opportunity for us to come together and cheer on our national teams, who have done so much to inspire people across the country. I am sure that both sides of the Committee will agree with the positive benefits of the statutory instrument raised in today’s debate, from inspiring the next generation of footballers to boosting our local businesses. We have lots to celebrate over the coming weeks, and I am sure noble Lords will join me in wishing the very best to both Wales and England for the tournament.

I am grateful to the three noble Lords for their contributions. The noble Lords, Lord Hayward and Lord Addington, have moved the goalposts slightly, in the sense that this was a women’s football order. It has had a full consultation, which has given the support to date that I have mentioned. Noble Lords have made a very compelling case for the Women’s Rugby World Cup based in the United Kingdom to be considered. I will certainly consider those representations, and I will get back to both noble Lords. At the moment, there are no plans in the Home Office for such an order, but that does not mean that we cannot consider it. However, there needs to be a public consultation, because we have to do that. I will have to reflect on whether that would fit in with the timescales for the event that both noble Lords mentioned.

I appreciate the clarification that the Minister is giving. I referred to previous events where requests were made of licensing authorities to extend hours on the grounds of good reason rather than waiting for the law—namely, waiting for the police authorities and the licensing authorities to respond. Under those circumstances, that request came from the Minister without any consultation. So, although I understand that best practice would require consultation, conscious of the timing that we are up against, I do not want that to be imposed as a barrier where, if you do not have consultation, you cannot produce an order.

I appreciate that, but I hope that both noble Lords will recognise that that was not an item that I expected to debate today. It seems eminently sensible to examine that, but I cannot give the noble Lord final chapter and verse on that proposal based on the helpful discussion that we have had. The case has been made very ably and strongly for the encouragement and recognition of that World Cup being held in the United Kingdom, for the reasons that both noble Lords have mentioned. So, if they will let me, I will take away that proposal. Section 172 of the Licensing Act 2003—which the noble Lord remembers vividly, even 22 years on, and the discussions that he had—empowers the Secretary of State to make an order. The criteria mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Addington, are the relaxation of licensing hours to mark occasions of “exceptional international, national, or local significance”. A Women’s World Cup held in the United Kingdom potentially has the merit of being included under those criteria, but this is not an issue on which I can give the noble Lord a definitive answer today. I will reflect on that outside the Committee and hopefully be able to write to him and the noble Lord, Lord Hayward, in due course.

The noble Lord is being very helpful. We are asking to get into thinking that this is a normal, sensible thing to do. The noble Lord has said, “Yes, we’ll have a look at it. That is a good idea”, but making sure that that becomes normalised is what we might take as a bonus from this sensible order.

Essentially—this goes back to the point that the noble Lord, Lord Hayward, made—the power in the Licensing Act for the Secretary of State was never designed to be a blanket power; it was designed to cover, as has been mentioned, “exceptional international, national, or local significance”. The Secretary of State has to consider that the celebration period in relation to the order—which would be given either by executive power or by formal order—marks an occasion of exceptional national significance. Both noble Lords have mentioned the Women’s World Cup as a whole. If they reflect on today’s order, they will see that it is not about the UEFA Women’s Championship in Switzerland as a whole; it is specifically targeted at the semi-finals on 23 and 24 July and the final on 27 July. I need to take away from today whether or not the Home Secretary, in this case, will reflect on the semi-final and final of the competition that both noble Lords have referred to, or the whole competition. This order, which is tangential to the issues that have been raised, features only the semi-final and final, and therefore that was the proposal that the Government brought forward. I very much welcome the support for the order by the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Gower, and the points he made. There is an opportunity here to celebrate both England and Wales, should they make the semi-finals and final, and to help boost businesses in the hospitality sector and provide much-needed income and refreshment to those businesses. That is why I fervently hope that England and Wales make the semi-finals and final, and fight it out in an appropriate way in whichever Swiss football stadium they are playing in on 27 July. This has been a useful debate and, if noble Lords will allow, I will reflect on those two matters and respond in writing. But, for the reasons that I have mentioned, this is for a specific event on a specific date, not for blanket Secretary of State coverage. But noble Lords have made a very strong case. If I may return to football —the round rather than the oval ball—for women, I commend this order to the Committee.

Motion agreed.