It is said that politicians use statistics - as a drunk uses a lamp post - for support rather than illumination.

This what Mr Punell said, in context.

To ensure that the Licensing Act will allow live music to flourish we will closely monitor and evaluate its effectiveness. We are committed to a follow up survey in 2006 on the extent to which small venues across England and Wales stage live music. This will be a key performance indicator for the success of the regime. The first survey, which interviewed 1600 small venues, remains of one the most comprehensive studies of live music in England and Wales and a recent inquiry by the Market Research Society upheld the integrity of the research.