Lords debate effectiveness of Licensing Act 2003

• Parliament TV: Licensing Act 2003
• Report: Licensing Act 2003: post-legislative scrutiny (HTML)
• Report: Licensing Act 2003: post-legislative scrutiny (PDF)
• Licensing Act 2003 Committee

The report, by the House Lords Licensing Act 2003 Committee, considered the effectiveness of the Act and changes that should be made eleven years after it came into force.

The main recommendation was that the responsibility for licensing should be transferred from local authority licensing committees to planning committees. Other major recommendations were:

• planning inspectors to hear appeals;
• more training for councillors before  sitting on a licensing Committee;
• changes to regulate better the pre-loading which causes anti-social behaviour in towns and cities;
• applying the Act to airports to limit air rage on  flights;
• better disabled access to licensed premises;
• a better balance of interests between the owners of licensed  premises and their immediate neighbours.;
• evaluation of the Scottish minimum unit pricing scheme before applying it in England."

Speakers in the debate

Ahead of the debate Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, the Chairman of the Committee, said:

"I am delighted that we will debate on Wednesday the report of the Committee and the Government response. The Committee's conclusion was that the Act was fundamentally flawed. The Government has accepted a number of our recommendations, and has promised to consider and consult on others. But it has rejected some of our more important recommendations. I welcome this opportunity to challenge ministers on this, and to hear what they have to say."

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering will start the debate, and Baroness Williams of Trafford will respond on behalf of the Government.   

Other Members of the House of Lords who are due to speak in the debate can be viewed on the Speakers' Lists.

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees 

Image: Parliamentary copyright/ Photography by Roger Harris