Clause 65 - Industrial and provident societies, friendly societies etc.
Licensing Bill [Lords]
3:30 pm
Mr Mark Hoban (Fareham, Conservative)
I am unsure which adjective the Minister missed. I wish him to say how many existing clubs would use these provisions because it seems strange that they are included in the Bill, and to comment on how different the controls would need to be over those activities for them to be satisfactory in the context of a licensing authority looking at the operation of such entities.
Are we opening the floodgates? Many offices have been set up for, for example, the Ancient Order of Foresters Friendly Society, which used to be an industrial provident society, or for the Oddfellows or the Buffaloes—for a whole host of those little societies with offices up and down the country in small towns. Were they properly to constitute themselves, each could now open up a club. Their members might welcome that—I do not know. That might attract more members. The societies might see it as a valuable way of extending the services that they offer to their communities if they could open up qualifying clubs and sell low-cost financial services products at the same time. That might cause a change in the way in which such services are sold that would excite the Chancellor and the Financial Services Authority.
It is an odd situation if financial institutions there to help the low-paid can also operate clubs that will relieve them of their savings premiums, which will be spent on beer instead. Perhaps the Minister can take the opportunity to clarify why this measure has been included and whether it will be used in practice.