§ Mr. Farrasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what charge is made for an occasional justices' licence to enable the holder of a full on-licence to sell intoxicants for a special event at a place other than his usual premises; what inquiries are made by the police about the licensee, the person organising the special event, and the premises in which the event is to be held; and what proportion of the cost of these inquiries is recovered in the charge made.
§ Mr. Merlyn Rees:At present the charge made for an occasional licence is £2. Under the Licensing (Fees) Order 1978 this will be increased to £2.50 on 386W 1st January 1979. The fees charged for occasional licences and other justices' licences are payable to justices' clerks, and are intended to cover the cost of work done on licensing matters by the staff of magistrates' courts, not by the police. The extent of any inquiries undertaken by the police in connection with applications for occasional licences no doubt varies with the wishes of the licensing committee concerned and the resources which particular forces can make available for this work. No information is available centrally about police practice in this matter or about the cost of such inquiries.