PLANS to make draught beer available in quarter and two-thirds of a pint measures have been shelved by the Isle of Man’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) after a public consultation rejected the idea.
Other proposals which met with disapproval and were subsequently shelved were: deregulation of sales of draught beer in quantities of less than one-third of a pint; the introduction of metric quantities for sales of specified spirits such as gin, rum, vodka, whisky and brandy; deregulation of sales of wines in the glass in quantities of less than 75ml; and a deregulation of sales of pre-packed intoxicating liquor.
The consultation received 37 responses during a period from November 9 to January 4 and among those who responded were the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the Licensed Victuallers’ Association and local drink makers Apple Orphanage Company Limited.
Of the six proposals put forward, only one, for fortified wines to be sold in the glass, in quantities of 50ml or 75ml or multiples of either of those, was likely to be looked at again within the next 12 months, said the OFT.
OFT chairman David Quirk MHK,said: ‘We were somewhat surprised at the lack of industry support for the proposals, especially as they emanated from feedback which we had previously received from industry sources.
‘However, given the support for the status quo, the standards will remain unchanged at present.’
The full consultation can be read on the {http://www.gov.im/oft/|OFT section of the government website}.