§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding will be offered by her Department to help licensees meet the terms of the Licensing Act 2003; and if she will make a statement. [165077]
§ Mr. CabornWe have made it repeatedly clear that the licensing regime to be established under the Licensing Act 2003 should permit the full recovery of the licensing authorities' costs of administration, inspection and enforcement under that regime. We do not consider that taxpayers should subsidise applicants for authorisations under the 2003 Act, save in two instances. During the passage of the Licensing Bill, we gave undertakings in both Houses that schools, sixth form colleges and village, parish or other community halls would be
1566W
§ Mr. CabornCentral government funds have been spent on cultural and sporting activities in the London Borough of Redbridge since 1997 as follows:
The London Borough of Redbridge received funds directly from DCMS in 2000–01 through the DCMS/ Wolfson Fund. The Borough was part of a consortium of ten local authorities that received a total of £160,000 for Reader Development projects. It is not possible to determine what proportion of this money was allocated to Redbridge.
The London Borough of Redbridge has received the following funds from the Department's directly-funded non-departmental public bodies since 1997.
exempted from fees associated with the provision of regulated entertainment. The licensing authorities' costs in these cases will be met by central Government. When compared with the continued operation of the existing licence regimes, we estimate that industry will save £1.97 billion over the first 10 years of the operation of the new regime.
§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance her Department(a) has issued and (b) plans to issue to licensees regarding the Licensing Act 2003; and if she will make a statement. [165109]
§ Mr. CabornThe Guidance laid in Parliament on 23 March under section 182 of the Licensing Act 2003 is guidance to licensing authorities on the discharge of their functions under the 2003 Act, but we hope that it will also be beneficial and helpful to future applicants for authorisations under that Act.
More generally extensive guidance about the Licensing Act 2003 can be found on the DCMS website (www.culture.gsi.gov.uk). In addition, we continue to work closely with local government representatives, representatives of performers, trade associations and other stakeholders on the dissemination of information that will assist potential licensees in understanding their duties and responsibilities under the new Act.