Clause 62 - The general conditions
Licensing Bill [Lords]
2:30 pm
Dr Kim Howells (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Pontypridd, Labour)
We have moved on to the part of the Bill that deals with clubs. The Government recognise that there is much to be valued in this country's club movement. Different considerations arise in relation to clubs, which are private premises to which public access is restricted. That is why they are treated separately from pubs, bars and other licensed premises; that is why the supply of alcohol for consumption by members and guests on premises for which a club premises certificate is in force are subject to a different regime with lighter controls.
The clause sets out five conditions that a club must satisfy to be a qualifying club and be eligible for a club premises certificate. It is important that the conditions are strong enough to enable a clear distinction to be drawn between bona fide members clubs and commercial undertakings. The hon. Gentleman is hedging around that simple question.
The first condition in subsection (2) is that
''under the rules of the club persons may not . . . be admitted to membership, or . . . as candidates for membership, to any of the privileges of membership, without an interval of at least two days between their nomination and or application . . . and their admission.''
As the hon. Gentleman told us, that has been the case since 1964 and it has been that way for as long as I can remember.