Clause 98 - Temporary event notice
Licensing Bill [Lords]
9:30 am
Mr Andrew Turner (Isle of Wight, Conservative)
In speaking to this group, I propose to deal only with amendments Nos. 417 and 418, which I tabled. I am sure that my hon. Friends and others will refer to the other amendments in the group.
These are probing amendments. I was concerned that the restrictions on temporary event licences were too tight, and I came to that conclusion because many events take more than 72 hours. On the other hand, many events that take more than 72 hours are organised for profit rather than as community events, and I felt that an extension of the temporary event notice was more appropriate for a community event or a licensable activity that was incidental to another event than for simple profit-making events.
I have therefore drafted an amendment that would add to the clause a subsection (9), which tries to marry the idea of a licensable activity being incidental to non-licensable activities with the extension of the period of a temporary event notice to 14 days. I could not think of a temporary event that lasted for more than 14 days—and even if I could, it might be argued that such an event is not temporary. When I drafted this amendment I was thinking of events such as Cowes week, which takes 10 days, the royal show, which takes place over 4 or 5 days at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, similar shows organised by major agricultural societies throughout the country, and other such events at which licensable activity may take place, but that activity is incidental to the non-licensable activity.
I am glad to say that an agricultural show is a non-licensable activity—at least, I hope it is, but I have begun to wonder about that since I heard the Minister mention flower shows. The Minister is looking blank.