Licensing Bill [Lords]
8:55 am
Dr Kim Howells (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Pontypridd, Labour)
I beg to move,
That—
(1) during proceedings on the Licensing Bill [Lords] the Standing Committee do meet when the House is sitting on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8.55 am and at 2.30 pm, except that on Thursday 3rd April the Committee shall not meet at 2.30 pm and on Thursday 1st May the Committee shall not meet;
(2) 18 sittings in all shall be allotted to the consideration of the Bill by the Committee;
(3) the proceedings shall be taken in the following order, namely Clause 1, Schedules 1 and 2, Clauses 2 to 5, Clause 179, Clauses 6 to 9, Schedule 3, Clauses 10 to 111, Schedule 4, Clauses 112 to 178, Schedule 5, Clauses 180 to 198, Schedules 6 to 8, New Clauses, New Schedules and remaining proceedings on the Bill;
(4) the proceedings on Clause 1, Schedules 1 and 2, Clauses 2 to 5 and Clause 179 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 11.25 am on Thursday 3rd April;
(5) the proceedings on Clauses 6 to 9, Schedule 3 and Clauses 10 to 46 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 5 pm on Thursday 10th April;
(6) the proceedings on Clauses 47 to 59 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 11.25 am on Tuesday 29th April;
(7) the proceedings on Clauses 60 to 95 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 11.25 am on Tuesday 6th May;
(8) the proceedings on Clauses 96 to 111, Schedule 4 and Clauses 112 to 142 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 11.25 am on Tuesday 13th May;
(9) the proceedings on Clauses 143 to 174 shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 11.25 am on Thursday 15th May;
(10) the proceedings on Clauses 175 to 178, Schedule 5, Clauses 180 to 198, Schedules 6 to 8, New Clauses, New Schedules and remaining proceedings on the Bill shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at 11.25 am on Tuesday 20th May.
It gives me great pleasure, Mr. Gale, to serve on another Committee under your chairmanship. You are a fine Chairman. I am not sure that all members of the Committee will necessarily have such affectionate memories as I do of the way in which you handled
the problem amendments to the Communications Bill, but as you said those proceedings got us through the winter months.
The Bill will greatly modernise the alcohol-licensing regime in this country. It is a balanced package of freedoms and safeguards. It clamps down on crime and disorder and antisocial behaviour that is perpetrated by the minority, while giving the responsible majority of people more freedom and choice of how they spend their leisure time.