Deputy Lindsay Ash, an Assistant Treasury Minister who has regularly campaigned for cheaper alcohol prices in licensed premises, said that given the crisis in the hospitality industry caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, a lifting of the ban on drinks promotions would support the struggling businesses.
In his proposition, he said: ‘At a time when hospitality and tourism is looking to try and make a comeback after the shut-down of businesses during the pandemic, the question of why promotions on drinks – such as happy hours or buy one, get one free or similar – are not permitted in Jersey has been put back into sharp focus.
‘I would ask is this quasi-governmental interference in how someone chooses to run their business, what offers they wish to make to their clients, a proportionate way of achieving a legitimate aim?
‘What is the reason happy hours are not allowed in Jersey? Has it succeeded in curbing excess drinking in Jersey? Whose policy was it and how did it come about?
‘Even now, under the minimum pricing of
alcohol policy, supermarkets are still able to offer promotions, which pubs and bars
are not.’
Members will be asked whether they think such promotions should be permitted in Jersey. If approved, the proposition would require Economic Development Minister Lyndon Farnham to undertake a review of alcohol pricing and report back to the Assembly by the end of 2021.
The proposition is due to be debated on Tuesday 22 September.
