DocWatson

Yes and no. I was a 17yo for most of the first semester there, which (frighteningly) was a decade ago.

The Students' Union will be strictest, in part because DOB is on your student card needed to access the building. In my year they weren't afraid to give out bans to those drinking after being told on the door they couldn't.

Pubs are different - a couple may refuse entry due to their licence, but most won't. And when I was 17 I'd just give 18yo companions money to get my round in. Getting the round in and conforming to that societal norm is the most important thing.

Besides, there are so many Americans that the concept of pre-drinks or pre-gaming is entrenched, resulting in limited need to purchase more when out and about.

Note - the student/matriculation card is used at the Students' Association/Union in St Andrews for entry, but most other establishments will need a proper ID, mostly driving licence. Given the high proportion of US students there's less scepticism towards the technicolour state-by-state options available than there would be in the rest of the UK.

CDTraveler

Which leads back to why I started this thread - teaching responsible drinking habits. My kid isn't going to be legal in the US for several years, but he is going off to college. As the UK has lower drinking ages, I thought our trip this summer might be a good chance for him to experiement with alcohol in controlled manner and learn how it effects him in safe situation.

I appreciate the helpful comments and mature discussion of the subject.

VickiSoCal

She was told she will need to use her Biometric residence permit as picture ID for pubs, opening bank account, etc.

ttep

is there some loophole to this? I remember Stephen Fry telling us that in beer gardens or the outer perimeter (i.e., not the bar) of an establishment the legal drinking age is 5, provided an adult purchased the beverage?

i miss QI

irish_goat

That's apparently the law but I doubt the cops or child services would see it that way to be honest.

When I was working in pubs/restaurants I would generally not bother asking for ID for a young person if they were clearly out with their parents for a meal. I wouldn't have served them all night though without checking to see if they were 18.

The_Bouncer

My understanding is the legal age of 5 applies only to private (i.e. not publicly accessible) places.

Any licenced premises (pubs, etc.) are subject to the minimum purchase age of 18 and minimum consumption age of 16 (beer, wine or cider with a table meal).

CDTraveler

When I was researching this issue, I came across this statement:
My first thought was that the above statement was simply wrong, but I first found it on the BBC News site, which I consider at least marginally creditable, and then found it several more places.

I do have to wonder what goes on in a mind that considers it appropriate for 5 and 6 year old kids to drink alcohol. Letting a kid of 10 or 12 to taste it at home and demystify it a bit is one thing, but 5?

The_Bouncer

I think the original rationale behind it was to allow children to take communion wine during church services.

jedikiah

You can blame that pussyfoot Nancy Astor for the current age restrictions on alcohol as they haven't changed that much since the 1920s, relaxation for meals being the main exception. Prior to that it was 14 for beer, wine etc, and 16 for spirits. This leaves the UK with some of the highest age restrictions in Europe.

big_mac

that hasn't been the case since 2003 - I think that the law actually changed shortly before the episode was broadcast. (That's in England and Wales anyway)

While I don't think anyone under 18 drinking in a public place actually commits an offence, the alcohol may be confiscated.

TravelingNomads

When we were in Edinburgh we went to one restaurant underneath the cinema that required us to purchase 4 meals in order to order 2 glasses of wine for the adults. They said it was because we had our teens sitting with us. They mentioned that it had something to do with the type of license that they had.

Arctic Troll

You take communion at seven in Catholic churches, for one thing.

Also a taste at that age is nothing, I let my seven year old taste my beer and wine when she asks. She doesn't ask often, she'd much rather just have her diluted fruit juice.

I think us Europeans tend to be a bit more relaxed about it.

CDTraveler

Being Catholic, I'm quite well aware of that.

The section I quoted did not mention churches or religious ceremonies.
To be very clear: I was discussing the regulation quoted on the BBC site which reads:
A "taste" and "to drink" are not the same. When it says the law allows adults to purchase alcohol for children over 4 to drink in the home I doubt most people would interpret that as meaning only a child can have a sip of Dad's beer.

Scots_Al

The origins of this piqued my interest. As far as I can make out, the prohibition on giving intoxicating liquor to under 5s originates in s119 of the Children Act 1908 - on pain of fine not exceeding Ł3!

I can only assume that has time has gone on, the focus of alcohol legislation has been on licensing and licensed premises, rather than private consumption.

In common with other UK law, it says what you can't do (give alcohol to under 5s), rather than giving rights (over 5s can drink). I'd be fairly confident therefore that anyone recklessly giving booze to a child of any age would still be caught by the relevant child protection legislation on an endangerment or neglect charge.

mad_rich

It seems you can even give under-fives a drink 'in an emergency'!