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Dept for Culture Media and Sport

Answer

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) whether a regulatory impact assessment was carried out on the voluntary sports clubs sector in respect of increased charges arising from the Licensing Act 2003; [198052] (2) whether a regulatory impact assessment was carried out on the voluntary sports clubs sector in respect of the increased charges from the Licensing Act 2003. [198310] Mr. Caborn: Yes. Our estimates of fee levels were first publicised in the White Paper "Time for Reform: Proposals for the Modernisation of Our Licensing Laws" (CM 4696) on 10 April 2000, which included a regulatory impact assessment. A regulatory impact assessment, which also included estimates relating to fee levels, was also presented to Parliament with the Licensing Bill in November 2002, and was revised when the Bill entered the House of Commons in March 2003. In September 2004 a draft regulatory impact assessment was published with a consultation document on regulations to be made under the Licensing Act 2003. All of these documents are available in the Library of the House. For the purpose of the regulatory impact assessments, sports clubs are treated as members' clubs holding registration certificates under the Licensing Act 1964 and which expect to hold club premises certificates under the 2003 Act. Such clubs include as well as sports clubs, political clubs, working men's clubs, ex-services clubs, social clubs and others. There are approximately 20,000 such clubs. A further regulatory impact assessment will be presented with regulations relating to fee levels when they are made following the public consultation which began on 4 November. The consultation document enables any individual club to calculate precisely the fees it could expect to pay, under the proposals in the document, in respect of applications made for the grant and variation of a club premises certificate under the 2003 Act.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

426 c960-1W;426 c964-5W; 198052;198310

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Clubs Fees and charges Licensing Entertainments Licensing laws Voluntary organisations Sports Impact assessments

Legislation

Licensing Act 2003

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk