§ 52. Sir A. WILSONasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will circularise all licensing justices to the effect that in places where Part IV of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act, 1890, has, under Section 3, been adopted by the local authority they should, in granting licences for music and dancing in large public halls, at their discretion stipulate that such places may not be used for public meetings of a particular type without the previous consent in writing of the chief constable of the county or borough police, and subject to such precautionary provisions as he may consider desirable 798 when, by reason of the size, location, or internal arrangements of the building, the maintenance of order by the police might prove difficult?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Douglas Hacking)As my right hon. Friend has informed the House, the whole question of police powers in connection with the maintenance of order at public meetings is under consideration, but he does not think that powers which Parliament has conferred on licensing justices for the control of entertainments at which there is music or dancing could be used for the very different purpose of controlling public meetings.