Dr. Howells: We will certainly look at getting rid of the absurd two in a bar rule.

Then you introduce legislation that makes even one musician illegal without more overall expense and increased red-tape?
What about the other equally absurd exemption? Outside London full-blown entertainment could take place in churches. Most of these would not measure up to the most basic of pubs in the matter of facilities and public safety but would still be exempt from the licensing requirement.

I have looked long and hard at the evidence, but we have never received any to suggest that watching television in a pub causes the kinds of scenes that have sometimes occurred in pubs with live music.

Never received any evidence - sometimes occurred in pubs with live music. Does 'sometimes' really justify the blanket licensing of all types of muisic in all types of venue?

Is the continuing of this scatter-gun approach, where innocent casualties are acceptable to address a few problem areas, really a proportiate and modern approach to ensure the public's safety and interests?

This waffling on about noise concerns justifing this approach is really not good enough. All the studies show that most noise complaints are cause by people making noise arriving and departing, outside premises.