Clause 10 - Proceedings of licensing committee
Licensing Bill [Lords]
9:15 am
Dr Kim Howells (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Pontypridd, Labour)
Clause 10(3) does not demolish local government procedure. Under the Local Government Act 1972, there is a presumption that the proceedings of local authority committees will be open to the public, but that is subject to specific provisions under other legislation that covers certain functions. When the hon. Gentleman asked about occasions when proceedings would not be open to the public, I referred to social services, but there could be other examples.
Exceptional circumstances might occur with regard to licensing—for example, if a licence were being reviewed because a serious crime had taken place on the premises. When I was in Manchester, the police told me of cases when drugs had been put into the glasses of young women and rapes had taken place near the premises. In one terrible instance, a rape had taken place on the premises. When a rape had taken place on licensed premises and the identities of individuals needed to be protected to prevent judicial proceedings from being prejudiced, a degree of security that is not normal in local authorities may need to surround the hearing.
It is precisely to counter the level of inconsistency in some circumstances that the hon. Member for Isle of Wight referred to that we seek to regulate some aspects. We must remember that we are talking about a new licensing function for local authorities, and a new committee procedure. That is why we see fit to include the provisions in the Bill.