I would disagree over extended licensing hours meaning an increase in alcohol-related problems. I've recently spent a while in Australia, where they have 24 hour licensing. Most bars, pubs and clubs are open most of the day - until the very small hours (6am) if not the full 24 hours. The result is that people come and go as they please. They start and finish drinking when they want - not all finishing their drinks at closing time and getting turfed out onto the streets. In all my time there I think I saw one fight on the street, and that was at about 7-8pm. Very rarely did you see the 3am waves of drunken people staggering around the streets as you do in city centres across the UK.