APPLICATION FOR LICENCE (Hansard, 27 July 1976)

§ Mr. Harry Ewing
I beg to move Amendment No. 15, in page 7, line 33. at end insert— '( ) In the case of an application for the grant or provision grant of a new licence, the applicant shall, not later than three weeks before the first day of the meeting of the board at which the application is to be considered, give notice in writing of the application to every occupier of premises situated in the same building as the premises to which the application relates'. This is an important amendment which meets the commitment given in Committee to my hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Cook) and other hon. Members on both sides of the Committee that individual written notices of an application for a licence for premises in tenement property should be sent to occupiers of the tenement. The amendment places on obligation on the applicant to inform the individual tenants in writing of the application for a licence. I hope that the wording meets the requirements of my hon. Friend.

§ Mr. Robin F. Cook
The amendment meets the precise points expressed in Committee. It gives to residents and owners in property adjacent to public houses a right which will be very much appreciated. It should have been given long ago. I am glad that the Government took this opportunity to put the matter right in the Bill.

§ Mr. Rifkind
I beg to move Amendment No. 16, in page 7, line 41, at end insert— '(6) On receipt of an application of a kind referred to in subsection (5) above, and until the first day of the meeting of the board at which the application is to be considered, the clerk of a licensing board shall make the application, together with the documents lodged therewith, available for inspection by members of the public during normal office hours'. The amendment seeks to improve the facilities available to the public to note the information which might be useful to them in deciding whether to oppose or accept an application which has been made. The amendment makes available far more information than the knowledge statutorily required under the Bill in its present form, and I hope that the Minister will accept it.

§ Mr. Harry Ewing
We recognise the usefulness of this amendment and we are prepared to accept it.