The following from Hamish Birchall

The Lib Dem/Conservative coalition in the Lords is under pressure.

Within the last 24 hours the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Local Government Association (LGA) have written to all Peers warning against the exemption.

This development, combined with limited and somewhat irrational concessions by the Government for unamplified performance (licensable, but not subject to conditions initially) might persuade Liberal Democrats to accept the Government position and not to vote with the Conservatives tomorrow.

The Conservatives will stick to the small events exemption, but unless they have the support of Liberal Democrats, or Cross Benchers, they cannot win a vote.

Lobby Liberal Democrats and Cross Benchers now!

Remember, with faxes you are restricted to ONE fax to SIX peers (names below) on this number (the Peers Lobby): (0)20 7219 5979.

Email Lord Redesdale, leading for the Lib Dems in the Lords: redesdaler@parliament.uk

harveyn@parliament.uk , cc to Nick Harvey MP, leading on the Licensing Bill in the Commons: .

Draft text (your own words are best):

Dear.....

Licensing Bill - House of Lords - Thursday 03 July 2003
Live music - small events exemption

I ask that if possible you attend this debate and strongly urge you not to accept the Government's amendments that overturn the small events exemption for live music. It cannot be right in principle that live music, even unamplified, should require licensing when the provision of big screen broadcast entertainment, or jukeboxes, can be exempt no matter how powerfully amplified.

It must be possible for the Government to devise a regime where live music, alongside other entertainments, is regulated proportionately and consistently according to risk. Arbitrary discrimination through licensing which favours recorded music is bound to restrict opportunities for live performance, particularly in smaller venues.

The police have the power to close noisy licensed premises immediately, and local authorities will have that power when the Anti-social Behaviour Bill becomes law. Local authorities already have the power to seize noisy equipment immediately, or to serve anticipatory noise abatement notices. Local authorities are also responsible for enforcing Noise at Work Regulations, which can bear down significantly on noise breakout from within premises.

The Government's exemptions for places of public religious worship show that, as far as safety is concerned, it is possible to regulate performance without licensing.

Yours etc.

~ ~ ~

Liberal Democrat Peers (incl. some email addresses):

The Lord Addington

The Lord Alderdice

The Lord Avebury

The Lord Clement-Jones CBE FRSA

The Lord Dahrendorf KBE FBA

The Lord Dholakia OBE

The Lord Ezra MBE

The Viscount of Falkland

The Lord Geraint

The Lord Goodhart QC

The Baroness Hamwee - sally.hamwee@london.gov.uk

The Lord Holme of Cheltenham, CBE

The Lord Hooson QC

The Lord Hutchinson of Lullington QC

The Lord Jacobs FCA

The Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC - lestera@parliament.uk

The Baroness Linklater of Butterstone

The Baroness Ludford MEP

The Lord Mackie of Benshie CBE DSO DFC LLD

The Baroness Maddock

The Lord McNally

The Lord Methuen

The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer - millers@parliament.uk

The Lord Newby,allnewbys@aol.com

The Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne FRSA

The Lord Perry of Walton OBE FRS

The Lord Phillips of Sudbury - a.philips@bateswells.co.uk

The Lord Razzall CBE - arginaut@easynet.co.uk

The Rt Hon The Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank

Professor The Earl Russell FBA

The Lord Russell-Johnston

The Lord Sandberg CBE FRSA

The Baroness Sharp of Guildford - sharpm@parliament.uk

The Lord Smith of Clifton Kt FRHist - sirtas@jrrt.org.uk

The Rt Hon The Lord Steel of Aikwood KBE PC DL MSP

The Lord Taverne QC

The Lord Thomas of Gresford OBE QC

The Lord Thomas of Swynnerton

The Baroness Thomas of Walliswood OBE DL

The Rt Hon The Lord Thomson of Monifieth

The Lord Tope CBE

The Lord Tordoff - tordoffg@parliament.uk

The Lord Wallace of Saltaire

The Lord Wigoder QC

The Rt Hon The Baroness Williams of Crosby

The Baroness Barker

The Baroness Harris of Richmond JP DL - harrisa@parliament.uk

Professor The Lord Bradshaw

The Lord Carlile of Berriew QC - accqc@compuserve.com

The Lord Rennard MBE - chrisrennard@cix.co.uk

The Lord Sharman OBE FCA - lordsharman@kpmg.co.uk

Professor The Lord Watson of Richmond CBE - alan_watson@uk.bm.com

The Baroness Northover - lnorthover@cix.co.uk

The Baroness Scott of Needham Market

The Baroness Walmsley - walmsleyj@parliament.uk

The Lord Greaves - greavesa@parliament.uk

The Earl of Mar and Kellie

The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay

The Lord Roper

The Lord Shutt of Greetland - shutt@jrrt.org.uk

The Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon PC KBE

The Lord Fearn

The Lord Livsey of Talgarth

The Lord MacLennan of Rogart

The Baroness Michie of Gallanach

CROSS BENCHERS with an interest in music:

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster GCB CVO

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

Rt Hon Lord Cameron of Lochbroom QC

Rt Hon Lord Chalfont OBE MC

Rt Hon Lord Clyde

Lord Elis-Thomas AM

Lord Flowers FRS

Lord Freyberg

Lord Gibson

Rt Hon Lord Hope

Field-Marshall Lord Inge GCB DL

Prof Lord Lewis of Newnham FRS

Earl of Listowel

Rt Hon Lord Lloyd of Berwick

Lord Neill of Bladen QC

Rt Hon Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead

Rt Hon Lord Oliver of Aylmerton

Lord Roll of Ipsden KCMG CB

Lady Saltoun of Abernethy

Viscount Tenby

Lord Tombs

Lord Walton of Detchant TD

Baroness Warnock DBE

Lord Wright of Richmond GCMG FRCM

Baroness Prashar CBE

Baroness Greengross

Lord Adebowale

Lord Adebowale

Lord Moser