Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005: consultation on application fees for renewing personal licences

Introducing a fee for applying to renew a personal licence

14. While there is an initial £50 fee to apply for a personal licence, there is currently no fee set in regulations for a renewal application. Licensing Boards will be dealing with thousands of renewal applications in the run up to the ten year point, and we are aware of the concerns that have been raised by a number of stakeholders about the significant administrative pressure that this will place on Licensing Boards and others.

15. The Scottish Government believes that because of the amount of administrative work that this will entail for Licensing Boards, there is a strong case for introducing a fee for applying to renew a personal licence to help Licensing Boards across Scotland cover the cost of administration. As the fee for a grant of a personal licence application is £50 we consider that it is then reasonable and proportionate that the renewal fee is also set at £50.

16. The Scottish Government is required to consult before any new fee comes into force. We are therefore consulting on whether or not to draft and lay secondary legislation in Parliament to update the 2007 Regulations to introduce a fee for applying to renew a personal licence, and whether or not to set that fee at £50.

17. We would welcome views from respondents to the consultation on whether they consider the introduction of a renewal fee to be appropriate, and if so, whether they think the proposed £50 fee level is appropriate, including evidence to support their view. We are also welcoming views and evidence to support an alternative fee level being set, or no fee being introduced at all.