Policing and Crime Bill
4:00 pm
Rob Hayward: It is. There are a multitude of reasons why pubs are closing. We could have a lengthy discussion about that if the Chairman would allow us, but I am sure that he would not. There is no doubt that there are a range of issues, but if you were to ask the companies and individual landlords what the factors are that burden them, as Mr. Holmes mentioned earlier, the answer would be duty and regulation. That comes through not only from my sector, but from the whole tourism and hospitality sector. One has to remember, as I said earlier, that that impacts on all licensed premises because it is mandatory policy, so there will be a regulatory burden on them all, whether it is a historic castle that happens to have a licence, which many of them do, or a restaurant.