Clause 98 - Temporary event notice
Licensing Bill [Lords]
3:30 pm
Mr Jim Knight (South Dorset, Labour)
The lottery is the responsibility of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which oversees its operation. Given that Opposition Members are always willing to criticise the Government for their use of lottery money if things go wrong, it is incumbent on us to celebrate when things go right. I saw a Minister from the Department the other day in order to argue for the use of lottery money for the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy, but I shall not carry on talking about that, as it is fairly wide of the debate.
Most village halls and community venues will acquire the premises licence but will not specify alcohol, because in most cases there will be no volunteer who wants to go through the training process and have the burden of responsibility, however it may be viewed, of being the premises supervisor. That would mean that they were responsible in law for any problems associated with the selling of alcohol in that venue.
Many people have expressed their concern about the limit of five events, given that premises can currently get 12 temporary permissions. It should be borne in mind that, as has been said, premises can also use the Theatres Act 1968 to serve interval drinks during some other events, so the total would be 12 events plus the use of the 1968 Act. The Bill proposes allowing five temporary event notices, lasting for a maximum of three days. In effect, it could be argued that the Bill is offering 15 days, as opposed to 12 plus the use of the 1968 Act. The two systems might therefore be regarded as being roughly equivalent. However, I should like the grouping of them together in three-day lumps to be unpicked, or the number of temporary event notices to be increased from five to 12.
My amendment probes the Government on whether they would go that far; whether they would say that there could be 12 lumps of three days; or whether we could consider putting together an amendment on Report that tries to find flexibility for the 15 days that are being offered, so that we can also get round some of the problems involving the 24-hour gap discussed this morning. There may be occasions on which premises could use the 15 days in lumps of four to get around that problem.
Such flexibility would solve many of the problems. Then it might be appropriate for the touring stage manager or producer of a touring theatre company, such as the one I met, to be the person named on the licence. The process might become part of the business of being the producer or stage manager of a touring theatre. Such theatres could then put on up to 15 temporary events when on tour and serve interval drinks; it would become part of the whole deal. That may get round the theatres' problem.
I simply ask my hon. Friend to give an idea of how flexible we can be with the use of the 15 days, and to
say whether he is willing to go as far as giving the 12 72-hour notices that I suggest in my amendment.