--- title: 'UK Government launches consultation on updating the Licensing Act' url: 'https://jessica.digital/articles/licensing-act-consultation' markdown: 'https://jessica.digital/articles/licensing-act-consultation.md' date: '2024-01-24' description: 'The UK Government has launched a consultation to update the Licensing Act 2003to address digital age assurance for alcohol sales. This includes using digital proof of age and determining the point of age verification. The consultation aims to reduce ambiguity and enhance protection against underage sales and intoxicated purchases as identified in my earlier research.' taxonomy: category: - age-assurance - research tag: - licensing-act-2003 - alcohol-sales - digital-identity - regulation --- [ All articles](https://jessica.digital/articles) 24 January 2024 3 min read [Age assurance](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:age-assurance) [Research](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:research) # UK Government launches consultation on updating the Licensing Act ![](https://jessica.digital/user/pages/03.articles/licensing-act-consultation/666e06c5bf94e646782009.jpg) Today the UK Government have launched a consultation on updating the Licensing Act to reflect the challenges of digital age assurance for alcohol sales (Philip, 2024). This is a welcome change as suggested by my prior research into the [application of age verification technologies for online alcohol sales](https://jessica.digital/articles/payment-card-age-checks) (Grout & Muirhead, 2020; Muirhead, 2021). The consultation seeks opinions on two areas where the Licensing Act can be updated: the use of digital proof of age, and the point at which age verification should take place (UK Government, 2024). ## Digital Identities and Technology The first element of the consultation examines whether the existing law should be updated in respect of what is considered valid identify as proof of age. Whilst the original Licensing Act 2003 did not specify what constituted legitimate proof, a later update via secondary legislation introduced the current requirement for those who appear under 18 to provide specific photo ID (Passport, Driving Licence, or Holographic identity card) to reduce the ambiguity provided to premises licensees (UK Government, 2010). Since this time, digital technologies have moved to a point where any other function can be provided by our mobile phones: Google and Apple Pay allow bank cards to be replicated by devices; National Railcards can be provisioned and verified within apps; and the Government's services have moved to new digital-first platforms. This has been accelerated by the use of Covid vaccination proof via the national NHS mobile apps. It is evident that the provision of proof of age will also move towards digital means in the future, though this is not accommodated within current legislation. ## Remote Sales The Remote Sales element of the consultation addresses the specific issues identified within our research (Grout & Muirhead, 2020). The current legislation is unclear on where age verification should take place for online sales. Retailers have chosen different points for age verification dependent on their contexts: supermarkets providing home delivery options always perform this on the doorstep; smaller e-commerce retailers often use third party services to verify age against the Electoral Roll; and instant delivery services often leave the implementation to self-employed delivery workers. The consultation also includes consideration for a) proxy sales (i.e., purchases on behalf of someone under-age) and b) sales to those already intoxicated, both already legislated for in-person sales but with ambiguity for online sales. Providing specific guidance is important to ensure both the minimisation of harm to those under-age, but also the protection of licensees from inaccurate or unclear application of the legislation. ## Summary The consultation aims to address two key aspects that are currently ambiguous or poorly defined in the Licensing Act. I eagerly await the consultation responses, report, and subsequent changes to the law to see the changes suggested by my research into this important legislation. Whilst the Licensing Act only applied to alcohol sales, the extension of the same mechanisms to other age-restricted products will likely be applied by retailers, ensuring consistency of implementation and improved safeguards in our modern digital world. ## References Grout, V., & Muirhead, J. (2020) **Effective age gating for online alcohol sales**, Alcohol Change UK. Available at: (Accessed: 24 January 2024). Muirhead, J. (2021) **Preventing underage alcohol purchasing online using payment card details**, Institute of Alcohol Studies (IAS). Available at: (Accessed: 24 January 2024). Philip, C. (2024) **Written statement: HCWS205**, UK Parliament, 24 January. Available at: (Accessed: 24 January 2024). UK Government (2010) **New conditions for licensed premises in England and Wales: age verification and smaller measures**, 30 September. Available at: (Accessed: 24 January 2024). UK Government (2024) **Alcohol licensing: age verification**, 24 January. Available at: (Accessed: 24 January 2024). ## Tags [Licensing Act 2003](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:licensing-act-2003) [Alcohol sales](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:alcohol-sales) [Digital identity](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:digital-identity) [Regulation](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:regulation) ## Related articles 27 Jun 2026 [Age assurance](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:age-assurance) ### [Proposed bank verification system builds on age assurance proposals](https://jessica.digital/articles/bank-verification-age-assurance) Can banking apps solve underage online sales better than a centralised state ID? Discover how the banking sector's new digital verification service mirrors years of my research on privacy-preserving age-assurance. Explore how this ecosystem bridges the gap between secure transactions, data minimisation, and real-world e-commerce safety. [Digital identity](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:digital-identity) [Banking](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:banking) [Privacy](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:privacy) 9 Jun 2020 [Age assurance](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:age-assurance) ### [Are existing online age checks for alcohol purchases effective?](https://jessica.digital/articles/online-alcohol-age-checks) The UK's lockdown in March 2020 led to increased alcohol consumption and sales. Research funded by Alcohol Change UK revealed that online age verification for alcohol purchases is inadequate, often relying on delivery checks. Clarifying guidelines from the Licensing Act 2003 and involving banks in age verification could better protect underage individuals from buying alcohol online. [Alcohol sales](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:alcohol-sales) [Licensing Act 2003](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:licensing-act-2003) [Banking](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:banking) 30 Apr 2020 [Research](https://jessica.digital/articles/category:research) ### [Effective age-gating for online alcohol sales](https://jessica.digital/articles/age-gating-alcohol-sales) Evaluation of the effectiveness of age-gating processes for online alcohol sales. The study found current methods ineffective and proposed enhanced online age verification, leveraging bank authorisation processes, and continuous monitoring of emerging technologies to better prevent minors from purchasing alcohol online. [Alcohol sales](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:alcohol-sales) [Merchant category codes](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:merchant-category-codes) [Emerging technology](https://jessica.digital/articles/tag:emerging-technology) --- ## Navigation - Parent: [Articles](https://jessica.digital/articles.md) - Previous: [FHEA Fellowship: A Personal Reflection](https://jessica.digital/articles/fhea-fellowship.md) - Next: [PhD thesis complete ✔](https://jessica.digital/articles/phd-thesis-complete.md)