The Registration of Clubs (Northern Ireland) Order 1987

Young persons prohibited from bars

32.—(1) During the permitted hours a person under the age of 18 shall not be in any part of the premises of a registered club which—

(a) contains a bar; or

(b) is used exclusively or mainly for the supply, consumption or storage of intoxicating liquor.

(2) A registered club shall not allow a person under the age of 18 to be in any part of the club premises as mentioned in paragraph (1) during the permitted hours.

(3) A person shall not cause or procure any person under the age of 18 to go into, or to be in, any part of the club premises as mentioned in paragraph (1) during the permitted hours.

(4) Any person acting in contravention of paragraph (1) or (3) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction—

(a) for a contravention of paragraph (1), to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale;

(b) for a contravention of paragraph (3), to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

(5) If paragraph (2) is contravened—

(a) the registered club; and

(b) every person entered in the register of clubs as an official or member of the committee of management or governing body of the club at the time of the contravention; and

(c) the person allowing the person under the age of 18 to be on the part of the club premises mentioned in paragraph (1);

shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.

(6) In any proceedings for an offence by reason of a contravention of paragraph (2) it shall be a defence for a person to prove—

(a) that the contravention occurred without his consent or connivance and that he exercised due diligence to prevent it; or

(b) that he had good reason to believe that the person under the age of 18 had attained that age.

(7) Where a person under the age of 18 represents himself to be the age of 18 for the purpose of being in any part of club premises as mentioned in paragraph (1) during the permitted hours, he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(8) Nothing in this Article shall apply with respect to a person under the age of 18 who is—

(a) in a part of sporting club premises as mentioned in paragraph (1) during the part of the permitted hours before 7 in the evening (except where that person is in that part for the purpose of employment); or

(b) in a part of club premises as mentioned in paragraph (1) solely for the purposes of passing to or from some other part of the premises which is not a part as aforesaid and to or from which there is no other convenient means of access.