Lord Avebury yesterday asked the government how the used the MORI data to calculate the 1.7 million gigs estimate 'in the past year alone in bars, clubs and restaurants', and how they selected venues whose main business was not staging live music (see text below). Analysis of the published MORI data suggests that 855,000 a year would be a more accurate estimate for pubs, small clubs and restaurants.

The government should answer before 23 November, the date of the Queen's speech.

Lord Avebury: 'To ask Her Majesty's Government how they were able to select the venues studies in MORI's Survey of Live Music Staged in England & Wales in 2003-04 which did not have a core business of staging live music in arriving at the conclusion, given in a Department for Culture, Media and Sport press release of 25th August, that "an estimated 1.7 million gigs were staged in the past year alone in bars, clubs and restaurants whose main business isn't putting on live music"; and whether they will give details of the calculation.' (HL4624)