The live music forum will produce its analysis in the next few weeks. Current evidence is anecdotal, but it none the less suggests a broadly neutral impact.

No sign then of the 'explosion in live music' expected by the Government's Lord MacIntosh on the Act's introduction......

Now that the Government side now seem happy to see the statistics showing waht they see as 'a broudly neutral impact' - this is perhaps a good time to be reminded of the Government's response to the first petition.

We believe that the Act will make it simpler and more affordable than now to stage live entertainment in the vast majority of cases and increase opportunities for musicians and other artists to perform

We have also given an undertaking that we will review the existing descriptions of entertainment in the Act six to twelve months after the end of the transition period. If the Act has had an unintended, disproportionate negative effect on the provision of live music -or other forms of regulated entertainment-, there are powers already in the Bill to modify the position through secondary legislation. However we believe that the provisions in the Licensing Act will allow live music and other regulated entertainment to thrive.

As was pointed out at the time - it would be difficult not to improve on the then figure of 5% of premises with the old Public Entertainment Licence. But the important thing to remember is that some form of limited live music could then still take place in the remaining 95%.

As a result of the Act and the resulting and much lauded abolition of the 'two in a bar rule' - any form of live music is now made illegal - it would appear from the statistics - in 40% of available premises with a Premises Licence but without entertainment pemission.

Not my idea of a 'broadly neutral impact' or an 'explosion in live music'.