§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in providing that business premises open at unsocial hours must protect purchasers of those goods by CCTV as a condition of being licensed to trade at such times. [136234]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeUnder the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Initiative, businesses may join crime and disorder reduction partnerships to bid for funding for external CCTV systems as a deterrent, and to help identify offenders entering or leaving their premises. The current bidding round under the initiative, which closes on 22 December, specifically encourages bids from small shopping centres to deal with this kind of problem. Protection of goods and persons on these premises falls within the general duty of care owed by employers and service providers towards their staff and customers, and the requirements of Health and Safety legislation. Internal CCTV systems are widely used for this purpose, but since business premises do not require a licence to trade at unsocial hours, their use cannot be a condition of licensing.