especially when only 5% of premises have currently applied for additional entertainment licensing permissions

I understand the bill has not yet been passed, and publicans have not yet been asked to apply under the new system, right? If you're talking about 5% under the old PEL system, then this would surely be because of the massive extra costs to do so, costs which no longer exist under the new system. When pub owners are aware they can get something for nothing as far as entertainment licensing is concerned, I'd be amazed if those numbers didn't go up to the high 90 percents!

As under the Bill, all premises (exept churches), will have to hold a Premises Licence and be inspected, why cannot ALL premises automatically be made safe for any music making? The premises can then choose not to exercise the option, or choose to exercise it at short notice at some future date, but the authorities will not then be able to ever claim that any premises will be made unsafe if one person should sing in them.

Isn't this the point? If every pub owner gets a Premises License "for free", ALL premises will become available for music-making. No more restriction of sessions, no more crack-downs from petty bureaucrats.

I can certainly see that the inspection step could be a problem - this would be the stage where the bureaucrap could get in. If you and Hamish Birchall are looking at keeping that consistent across the country, with guidelines and stuff, then good on you.

Say a licensee did not wish to pay PRS fees, they would be unwise indeed if they applied for the entertainment element of the Premises Licence.

How so? If they're hosting bands other than trad folk, then yes. But if they're only doing folk music, can the PRS get involved? For the PRS to shove their oar in, would they not first need to show that we were playing songs by their members?

Granted, I wouldn't be at all surprised if the PRS sent round a "scare" letter to pubs with the entertainment element of the license. Organisations like this tend to do things like that.

Graham.