Viscount Bridgeman: The noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, is right to probe this power and to ask what its purpose is. There is no indication that the carrying of alcohol under this clause indicates that the young person is unsafe or about to cause disruption, so what is the purpose behind taking them home? The Government making it a criminal offence to refuse to give the police their home address could lead to a...
Viscount Bridgeman: I am grateful for that full explanation. I am also grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Redesdale, who is an expert in the pub-owning industry. We all know that there is a very good pub up in Northumberland. We shall await the statistics we have requested and have been promised by the Minister. In the mean time, we shall study his reply carefully. Clause 28 agreed. Clause 29 : Confiscating...
Viscount Bridgeman: Amendment 106 in this group is designed to address a deep concern on these Benches about the Government's removal of the requirement that there needs to be evidence of intent to drink the alcohol before it can be confiscated. Amendment 104 probes why there is no defence of reasonable excuse inserted to replace such a safeguard. Essentially, these are probing amendments to establish why the...
Viscount Bridgeman: I am most grateful to the noble Baronesses, Lady Stern and Lady Miller, for their constructive support for the amendment. I am also grateful to the Minister for elucidating the previous legislation on confiscating alcohol, which satisfies some of our concerns. This is a serious problem about which the whole House is deeply concerned. I am grateful for the Minister's ample explanation and...
Viscount Bridgeman: On behalf of my noble friend Lady Hanham and myself I thank the Minister for that reply. I may not have been quite fair enough to the Government in acknowledging the steps they are taking in terms of alcohol education and so forth. However, with alcohol-related violent crime still rising, I feel that the jury is out and that we shall have to see how it goes. In the mean time, we shall study...
Viscount Bridgeman: In opposing the Motion that this clause should stand part, I am afraid that I am not much more kindly disposed towards the second clause in this part of the Bill than I was to the first. Here we are looking at a change to the offence of persistently selling alcohol to children, lowering the bar from three occasions to two within three consecutive months. Again, I would have welcomed a...
Viscount Bridgeman: In opposing the inclusion of the clause, I in no way seek to weaken the ability of the police to take effective measures against irresponsible drinking and the violent behaviour to which it often leads. The link between the two is clear, and we would welcome effective measures to combat the sort of behaviour that blights communities. However, this is not an effective measure. Of all the...
Viscount Bridgeman: My noble friend Lady Hanham and I are grateful for these explanations. Obviously we want to be kept as closely in touch as is practicably possible with the Government's negotiations with the industry. In the mean time, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 88 withdrawn. Amendment 89 Moved by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer 89: Clause 26, page 22, line 43, leave out from...
Viscount Bridgeman: The noble Baroness, Lady Miller, makes some good points in this amendment. We agree with many of her concerns about the operation of this exemption. Although I would not want to extend this extremely burdensome regulation unnecessarily, it appears the Government are imposing the strictest conditions on some clubs while allowing others to continue to operate completely free from restrictions....
Viscount Bridgeman: These government amendments are welcome because they improve the clarity and drafting of the Bill and address many of the concerns expressed in the last debate. Although many venues are dedicated to adult entertainment, there are others where the distinction between a bar and a relevant venue is not nearly as clear. We still have concerns about the exemption provisions and the definition of...
Viscount Bridgeman: Once again, we return to the question of financial gain. I am uncertain how this disclaimer in paragraph 2 relates to the specific requirement in sub-paragraph (1) that the organiser or the entertainer is performing for financial gain. As I understand it, the entertainment is classified as relevant only if someone is financially benefiting, but need it be only the performer? Is this correct?...
Viscount Bridgeman: I can assure the Minister that it was, indeed, a probing amendment. I am grateful for his reply and explanation. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 86B withdrawn. Amendment 86C Moved by Viscount Bridgeman 86C: Clause 26, page 22, leave out line 39
Viscount Bridgeman: I come to the last of my three probing amendments on the definition of "relevant entertainment". Amendment 86C probes the inclusion of verbal performance. We seem to be taking the concept of a lap-dancing club to the very extreme where there needs not to be any dancing at all. Indeed, the subsection as a whole would suggest that a person could be paid to stand, dressed from neck to ankle,...
Viscount Bridgeman: The Committee will be grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, for probing the issue of touching. I am grateful for the Minister's explanation, which I will read carefully and perhaps come back to on Report. In the mean time, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 86A withdrawn. Amendments 86B to 87 not moved. Amendment 88 Moved by Viscount Bridgeman 88: Clause 26, page 22,...
Viscount Bridgeman: I tabled Amendment 88 to highlight the concern among highly regulated venues, which are currently operating under a premises licence, that they are being punished for the crimes of the unregulated sector. My noble friend Lady Hanham touched on this point earlier and I would like to probe the Minister a little further on the reasons behind these provisions, and to raise some concerns about the...
Viscount Bridgeman: I am grateful to the Minister. This was a probing amendment, but can we expect to see before Report, which is quite some time hence, a draft of the proposed regulations in this respect?
Viscount Bridgeman: I am not entirely happy with the Minister's reply. The Lap Dancing Association is very concerned about the reputation of its dancers. Unfortunately, if the legislation remains as it stands, a large number of dancers will be stigmatised career-long for truthfully putting this on their CV. This will affect their future employment throughout their careers. I shall look again very carefully at...
Viscount Bridgeman: This is one of a small number of quick groups to probe the definition of "relevant entertainment", which the Government consider suitable for this type of regulation. The definition in subsection (2)(a) of new Section 2A has several rather surprising characteristics, and I would welcome further explanation of the wording. In particular, the "or" at the end of subsection (2)(a) suggests that a...
Viscount Bridgeman: As the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, has indicated, this House has to be very careful when it ventures into the realms of nudity. We need to look very carefully at the Minister's reply before coming back with any views on Report. In the mean time, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 86A withdrawn. Amendment 86B Moved by Viscount Bridgeman 86B: Clause 26, page 22, line 36, leave...
Viscount Bridgeman: Amendment 83 is a probing amendment on the name that the Government have decided to impose on lap-dancing clubs. The amendments in this group proposed by the noble Baroness, Lady Miller, would appear to be based on exactly the same concerns. I would much prefer to see "adult entertainment venue" in place of "sex encounter venue". My concerns about "sex encounter venue" are precisely those...
