Clause 47 - Dealing with noise at night
Anti-social Behaviour Bill
3:45 pm
Mr Nick Hawkins (Surrey Heath, Conservative)
Again, I can be brief. All our debates have covered particular problems at weekends and late at night. We have just discussed the involvement of senior people in local authorities. I understand that it is useful to have a clause that deals specifically with noise at night.
In this clause, which amends the Noise Act 1996, introduced by the previous Conservative Government, what sort of approach has the Minister in mind in relation to the 1996 Act, which says that
''sections 2 to 9 only apply to area of local authority if authority have so resolved or an order by Secretary of State so provides''?
Have the Government issued, or are they minded to issue, any guidance to local authorities about whether they should make such resolutions or, alternatively, has the Secretary of State any rules that enable him to decide at what point he might issue an order? I do not have a problem with the phrasing of the clause, but it would be helpful to have some indication from the Minister of exactly how the Government would extend the guidance that they give to local authorities under the 1996 Act.