Licensing - New inquiry announced!
Roger Gall
In a surprise move, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee today announced
its own public inquiry into the effects of the Licensing Act 2003 (see full
announcement below). Note that this is NOT the 'full public consultation'
promised by the government on new exemptions within the Act for 'low risk
music events'. That has yet to be launched by the Department for Culture,
Media and Sport (DCMS).
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee acts independently of the government
and DCMS. Their announcement today suggests that there is serious doubt that
the Act has delivered the many benefits claimed by the government. These of
course included ministers' claims that it would be easier and cheaper to
stage live music, and that there would be 'an explosion' of live music as a
result.
The inquiry remit includes the impact on the performance of live music, and
whether or not the Act has reduced costs and red tape.
The Committee's inquiry is suprising not least because in December last year
the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published its own assessment of
the impact of the Act on live music ('New plans to help live music thrive',
press release 17 December 2007:
http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/media_releases/2254.aspx )
In that press release DCMS reported a 5% fall in live gigs since their 2004
survey of venues not specialising in live music, but claimed this was not
due to the new licensing regime.
The deadline for responses to the inquiry is Tuesday 30 September. See
guidance below on submissions, which must be in writing. The Committee
office advised me that they want concise, factual and clear feedback.
Committee website:
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/culture__media_and_sport.cfm
The Licensing Act inquiry announcement will be put up on the website
tomorrow as a press release.
~ ~ ~
Media and Sport committee - New Inquiry - Licensing Act 2003
Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Select Committee Announcement - Committee Office, House of Commons, London
SW1A 0AA
18 July 2008 - No. 51
LICENSING ACT 2003: NEW INQUIRY
The Committee is announcing today a new inquiry into the effects of the
Licensing Act 2003. The Committee seeks views on:
- Whether there has been any change in levels of public nuisance, numbers
of night-time offences or perceptions of public safety since the Act came
into force;
- The impact of the Act on the performance of live music;
- The financial impact of the Act on sporting and social clubs;
- Whether the Act has led, or looks likely to lead, to a reduction in
bureaucracy for those applying for licences under the new regime and for
those administering it;
- Whether the anticipated financial savings for relevant industries will be
realised.
The Committee will also examine other areas of interest that are raised
during the course of its inquiry.
Written submissions are invited from interested parties; these should be
sent to Rowena Macdonald, Committee Secretary, at the address below by
Tuesday 30 September 2008.
Guidance on submissions
1. Our strong preference is for submissions to be in Word or rich text
format (not as a PDF document) and sent by e-mail to cms...@parliament.uk,
although letters will also be accepted. Submissions sent by post should be
sent to Rowena Macdonald, Secretary of the Culture, Media and Sport
Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. Please include a
contact name, postal address and telephone number in the body of the e-mail
or in the letter.
2. If the submission is from an organisation rather than an individual, it
should briefly explain the nature and membership of the organisation. It is
helpful to the Committee if paragraphs are numbered for ease of reference
and if longer submissions include an executive summary, ideally no more than
one page long. Submissions should be as short as is reasonably consistent
with conveying the relevant information: for most submissions, six pages can
be regarded as an appropriate maximum. Further guidance on preferred format
can be found at:
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/witness.cfm
3. Committees make public much of the evidence they receive during
inquiries, for instance by publishing submissions on the internet. If you do
not wish your submission to be published, you must clearly say so. If you
wish to include private or confidential information in your submission to
the Committee, please contact the Clerk of the Committee to discuss this.
4. Please bear in mind that Committees do not normally investigate
individual cases of complaint or allegations of maladministration.
5. Once submitted, no public use should be made of any submission prepared
specifically for the Committee unless you have first obtained permission
from the Clerk of the Committee.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Committee Membership is as follows:
Mr John Whittingdale (Chairman) (Con) (Maldon and East Chelmsford)
Janet Anderson (Lab) (Rossendale and Darwen)
Alan Keen (Lab) (Feltham and Heston)
Philip Davies (Con) (Shipley)
Rosemary McKenna (Lab) (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East)
Mr Nigel Evans (Con) (Ribble Valley)
Adam Price (PC) (Carmarthen East and Dinefwr)
Paul Farrelly (Lab) (Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Mr Adrian Sanders (Lib Dem) (Torbay)
Mr Mike Hall (Lab) (Weaver Vale)
Helen Southworth (Lab) (Warrington South)
Media Enquiries: Laura Humble, Tel 020 7219 2003 / 07917 488 489, e-mail:
hum...@parliament.uk
Specific Committee Information: Tel 020 7219 6188, e-mail:
cms...@parliament.uk
Website:
http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/culture__media_and_sport.cfm
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