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 this website, Kim Howells reveals 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 told ePolitix.com.

"I hope very much that one of things I'm working hard on at the moment, which is a new licensing law in which we relax licensing hours, comes to fruition in the next parliamentary session."

The tourism minister, who describes himself as "someone who likes to be in cities and towns", dismisses links between public drinking and criminality.

Noting that following continuous 36-hour pub opening hours at the start of the year "the police told me it was the quietest new year's eve they had ever known", Howells calls time on licensing laws that treat people like criminals.

"We've got to take away that air of criminality and morality which has always surrounded licensing. And we've got a job to do in becoming a more civilised place to live," he said.

"We're adults, we can decide when we want to eat and drink and enjoy ourselves in premises that sell alcohol."

The minister acknowledges concerns - often expressed by his government colleagues - over the dangers of fuelling yob culture and street crime.

"There are a lot of people at the moment who feel a great sense of trepidation about this."

But Howells believes tough safeguards allowing the police to shut down premises that "become a Mecca for violence and disorder" mean that Britain can at last move on from laws introduced over 80 years ago.

"With those safeguards in place I don't see why we can't be like virtually every other country on earth and have licensing hours that fit the needs of sophisticated people."