Clause 71 - Application for club premises certificate
Licensing Bill [Lords]
4:30 pm
Dr Kim Howells (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Pontypridd, Labour)
Clause 71 sets out the arrangements for applying for a club premises certificate. Subsection (1) states that a qualifying club
''may apply for a club premises certificate in respect of any premises which are occupied by, and habitually used for the purposes of, the club.''
Although we have taken steps to ensure that the special position of clubs is preserved under the new system, we are not proposing some sort of free-for-all for qualifying clubs. Local residents are entitled to as much protection from the activities of qualifying clubs as they are from licensed premises.
The licensing objectives are no less important for premises used by qualifying clubs than for other types of premises. That is why subsection (1) restricts the application for a club premises certificate to those premises that are habitually used by the club. Without that condition, the lighter-touch regime set out in the Bill for qualifying clubs in possession of a club premises certificate might be extended to a wide range of premises indeed, potentially undermining some of the checks, balances and protections provided.