Bars and restaurants invited to pitch age verification technology trials
Both on- and off-licensed retailers, bars and restaurants have been invited to put forward proposals to trial new technology when carrying out age verification checks.
The call for proposals has been launched by the Home Office and the Office for Product Safety and Standards, and those who are successful will be able to pilot new technology to improve the process of ID check during the sale of alcohol and other age-restricted items.
The pilots will explore how technology can strengthen current measures in place to prevent those under 18 from buying alcohol, reduce violence or abuse towards workers and ensure there are robust age checks on the delivery, click and collect or dispatch of alcohol.
Baroness Williams of Trafford said: "Having a robust age verification system is absolutely critical in preventing the sale of alcohol to children and the harm under-age drinking causes. These pilots will allow us to explore how new technology can improve the experience of buying and selling alcohol, both for the consumer and the retailer.
"It will be up to applicants to suggest products to trial within their proposals, but technology that may potentially be tested include a holographic or ultraviolet identification feature on a mobile phone."
Venues will be able to submit applications online on gov.uk and will be required to provide detail on how the technology works and how they plan to test it.
Currently, it is not possible to use a digital ID as proof of age for the purchase of alcohol in England and Wales. The pilots will allow a wide range of digital age verification technology to be tested, and the findings will be used to understand the impact of this technology and inform future policy.
Tony Allen, chair of the Expert Panel on Age Restrictions and chief executive of the Age Check Certification Scheme, said: "We welcome this important initiative to properly test, evaluate and provide assurance and certification of the plethora of technologies that are emerging to help with age assurance.
"This will assist with enhancing the protection of children from harm, but also potentially reducing the levels of abuse suffered by workers in licensed premises when challenging for proof of age."
Venues will still be required to carry out physical age verification checks alongside any digital technology in line with the current law, which requires a physical identification card with a holographic mark or ultraviolet feature upon request in the sale of alcohol.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards will be hosting a series of webinars over the next two months to assist members of the industry in drafting their proposals.
Applications will be assessed by a group of experts from a range of organisations, including the Home Office, Trading Standards, the Office for Product Safety and Standards and the Metropolitan police.
Trials by successful applicants will begin in the summer and must be completed by April 2022.
Operators can submit their proposals on gov.uk. Submissions close on 31 May and successful applicants will be notified by 2 July.
Photo: Shutterstock
