Licensing Bill (Hansard, 16 December 2002)

§ 18. Miss McIntosh
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the costs to be incurred by churches in applying for licences to host live music performances at their venues as a result of the provisions in the Licensing Bill. [85587]

§ Dr. Howells
Costs incurred by churches under the licensing regime proposed in the Licensing Bill would depend on the licensable activities, if any, which are undertaken and their frequency. The Regulatory Impact Assessment, published at the same time as the Licensing Bill and placed in the Libraries of both Houses, estimates that an application for a premises licence under the new regime will cost between £100 and £500, with an annual charge of between £50 and £150.

§ 21. Mr. Heath
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received on her plans to reform the public entertainment licence since the publication of the Licensing Bill. [85590]

§ Dr. Howells
My Department has received a number of representations from hon. and right hon. Members, members of the public, including musicians and Morris dancers, and from companies and organisations.
In addition, a large number of correspondents have written in support of the hon. Member's Early Day Motion 1182, the aims of which will be implemented by the Licensing Bill which is currently before Parliament.

§ 23. Andrew Selous
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the costs that will be incurred by live music venues if they wish to continue hosting live music performances at their venues as a result of the provisions in the Licensing Bill. [85592]

§ Dr. Howells
Under the proposed new regime, the cost of a premises licence would remain the same whether it solely covered the sale of alcohol or included any number of additional licensable activities, such as the provision of live music. The estimated fees in the Regulatory Impact Assessment, published with the526W Licensing Bill, were between £100 and £500 for an application for a premises licence with a subsequent annual charge of between £50 and £150. Fees would be set centrally by the Secretary of State in secondary legislation.