Alistair Arkley has long experience of the drinks industry, having worked at a senior level for a number of major companies and leading the team that set up and operated Century Inns plc, the highly successful northern-based pub company listed on the London Stock Exchange. He is now Chairman of New Century Inns, which has around 50 outlets, and he has a long involvement in dealing with the reform of the licensing legislation, having chaired one of the first conferences on the issue organised by the Association of Chief Police Officers some eight years ago.

There's no doubt we've an 'image problem' with our industry " media fascination with the wholly mythical prospect of 24-hour opening and the quite proper concern over issues such as binge drinking and town-centre disorder often hides the real facts.

For example, reading the headlines, you might find it hard to believe that at the beginning of the 21st century we're drinking 25 per cent less than we did at the start of the 20th century " but it's true.

It's also true that city-centre establishments are actually only a very small element of the 60,000 pubs in the UK, together of course with the other 58,000 licensed hotels, wine bars and restaurants, the 29,000 licensed clubs and the 51,000 off-licences, which, together with the brewing industry itself, employ almost a million people and contribute around £6bn to the Exchequer.

So what of the new licensing legislation and the predictions of what it will mean to the industry and the population as a whole? Let me begin by saying that I am certain none of the pubs owned by our company will want to open 24 hours a day " and in fact I know of no one in the industry who really believes it will happen.

No one should underestimate the challenge of running a pub. It's almost like having a party in your own home every day of the week " making sure everyone enjoys themselves at the same time as ensuring that things don't get out of hand.  It's a very challenging way of life and one of the key reasons why I cannot see hugely extended opening hours taking off.

In the case of the vast majority of New Century Inns' pubs I expect our tenants will be looking at closing at 11.00pm five nights a week with perhaps an extra hour on Friday and Saturday.

Far more important than the opening hours issue is the ability now available to local authorities, working with the police and industry itself, to exercise a more sensible and flexible influence over the ways pubs operate "effectively being able to operate an early warning or 'yellow card' system, much better than the previous system where the only real control was to seek to revoke a licence.

This is a testing time for everyone involved in the new system, not least the local authorities, many of whom have benefited from the huge investment made by the industry in the regeneration of their town and city centres.

I firmly hope that, if implemented in the right way by everyone " the industry, the local authorities in their new licensing role and the police " it can help to create  the kind of  drinking culture I would like to see in this country, where we encourage more people to drink less rather than less  people to drink more.