Clause 10 - Proceedings of licensing committee
Licensing Bill [Lords]
9:15 am
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight, Conservative)
That is a wholly unsatisfactory response, and I shall explain why. The Minister said that local government legislation would apply unless there were alternative provisions in the Bill. Those provisions are in clause 10(3):
''Subject to any such regulations, each licensing committee may regulate its own procedure''.
That is an alternative provision in the Bill. It means, in the Minister's own words, that the provisions of Local Government Acts do not apply, because alternative provision will exist in this primary legislation, which will allow each licensing committee to regulate its own procedures, and that of its sub-committees. Unless the Minister makes regulations, the licensing committee may meet in secret, without giving any notice of its meetings and without publishing any of the papers relating to its meetings.