COMMENTARY ON SECTIONS PART 6: Personal Licences.
183.Part 6 establishes a regime for the supply of alcohol to be regulated by the granting of personal licences to individuals. The licensing of individuals separately from the licensing of premises permits the movement of personal licence holders from one set of premises to another. The Act also provides the police and licensing authorities with powers to deal with errant personal licence holders.
184.The personal licence is to relate only to the supply of alcohol (as defined in section 111(2)) and not to other activities covered by the Act such as regulated entertainment or the provision of late night refreshment, for which no personal licence will be required. A personal licence does not authorise its holder to supply alcohol anywhere, but only from premises with a premises licence.
185.Where premises have a premises licence authorising the supply of alcohol, a personal licence must be held by the nominated individual responsible for the day-to-day running of the licensed premises, known as the designated premises supervisor. More than one individual at the licensed premises may hold a personal licence, although it will not be necessary for all staff to be licensed. But, all supplies of alcohol under a premises licence must be made by or under the authority of a personal licence holder.
186.A personal licence is issued for ten years in the first instance and there will be a presumption in favour of renewal if the licence holder has not been convicted of any offence.
187.The initial grant of a personal licence will additionally be subject to the possession of an accredited qualification. However, during the transitional period, existing holders of justices’ licences for the sale of alcohol, will not be required to obtain an accredited qualification (see paragraph 23 of Schedule 8). Rather, there will be a general presumption that a personal licence will be granted automatically, except in limited circumstance (for example following representations by the police that to do so would undermine the crime prevention objective).
188.Convictions for offences which are relevant for the purposes of the determination of applications for the grant or renewal of a personal licence include:
	those involving serious crime
	those involving serious dishonesty
	those involving the supply of drugs
	certain sexual offences
	offences created by the Act.
(see paragraph 191 below on section 113 and Schedule 4).