Gibraltar Businesses Attack Trial Licensing Scheme

Panorama

23 July 2001

This story is reproduced by kind permission of Panorama at: http://www.panorama.gi

The Gibraltar federation of Small Businesses says that the latest licensing laws are "discriminatory and unjust", thus agreeing with the views expressed by the licensed victuallers association.

The GFSB add that it is a pity that this 'trial' law which, we are informed is to be enacted for the summer only, seeks to favour only a few within the industry.

The federation says that to be able to justify this 'trial' over the remaining of the summer period that it should extend to all areas within Gibraltar and to select the chosen few and restrict the many cannot be considered other than discriminatory.

They further note that the draft legislation, its implementation and control, falls under the hands of two persons, the chief minister and the chief secretary. "There are no provisions for appeal or complaint and the chief minister is given powers to prescribe anything that he considers necessary or expedient and the chief secretary can modify, withdraw and restrict licences at his total discretion," says a statement.

The changes proposed "are not democratic in their content" says the GFSB. "The industry should have been consulted and the results of the various reports made last year by the interested groups should be made public so that an organised consultation process could take place. Archaic legislation should be changed but not in such a discriminatory manner.

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