The following is Hamish Birchall's view of the latest deveolpments.

Dr Howell's did also say that the rules regulating live music in pubs and restaurants were 'silly'. But he only made a vague commitment to the possibility of a new licensing Bill in next year's Queen's Speech. Even if that happened it could be a further two years before legislation finally makes it onto the statute books (i.e. 2004).

The law is silly, but local authorities in many areas are sillier. Work opportunities for musicians, and public access to local music-making, could be transformed if local authorities abolished public entertainment licensing fees and radically changed their enforcement policies. This doesn't require new primary legislation. The Department for Culture is now responsible for public entertainment licensing policy - and they could bring this change about by issuing strong new guidelines to local authorities.