§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if, as part of her review of licensing laws in England, she has made an assessment of the comparative licensing regulations in(a) Westminster, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Cardiff and (d) Belfast. [9146]
§ Dr. HowellsThe review of the alcohol and public entertainment licensing laws in England and Wales was conducted by the Home Office between 1997 and 1999. Although no formal comparative analysis was conducted, the review included consideration of the licensing regimes operating in Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as those operating in many other countries. At the conclusion of the review, the Government decided that new and entirely unique licensing arrangements were required to meet the demands of the 21st Century in England and Wales. On 10 April 2000, the White Paper "Time for Reform: Proposals for the Modernisation of Our Licensing Laws (CM 4696)", was published and copies are available in the Library of the House. It sets out our proposals for reform and we intend to bring forward legislation to implement them as soon as parliamentary time permits.