Longer pub and bar opening hours making the UK a "much more civilised country" are on the way, says a government minister.

In an interview with ePolitix.com, Kim Howells revealed that plans to overhaul Britain's "moralistic" licensing laws are back on track after being shunted into parliamentary sidings following terror attacks on the US.

"I'm pretty confident we could have had a bill in the Queen's speech but all that anti-terrorist legislation knocked us out," he said.

Forum Response: Alcohol Concern

A spokesman for Alcohol Concern told ePolitix.com: "We are by no means huge fans of the present system which we believe encourages people to drink as much as possible before closing time at 11pm.

"However we would like to see issues such as the need for public transport to be available for those leaving pubs and clubs and the views of local residents taken into consideration, when discussing reform of the licensing laws."