A rather close defeat by one vote! But a defeat.

Daily Telegraph

Yesterday in Parliament
(Filed: 14/01/2003)

Reports by Michael Kallenbach, Parliamentary Correspondent

Ministers defeated over late pub hours

The Government was narrowly defeated last night after peers objected to plans for all-night drinking licences.

Peers voted 112 to 111 to give ward councillors, MPs and MEPs the right formally to object to the licences.

The defeat, which ministers are expected to ask MPs to overturn, came in the Committee stage of the Licensing Bill. The amendment was introduced by Lady Buscombe for the Tories, but immediately opposed by Lady Blackstone, a culture minister.

The Bill allows formal objections from so-called interested parties, specifying residents and businesses in the area of the licensed premises, or their representative bodies. Opposition peers said the Bill put too great a responsibility on residents by not allowing their elected representatives, such as councillors, MPs and MEPs, to intervene.

The Tory amendment was backed by Liberal Democrat peers and several Crossbenchers. Analysis of the division lists showed that at least four ministers missed the vote.

After the vote, a Tory spokesman said the amendment gave "an opportunity for MEPs, MPs and, most importantly, ward councillors to make representations on behalf of residents in licensing cases".

Last month, in the detailed debate on the Bill, a cross section of peers voiced their concerns about loud music coming from pubs. If the Bill went through, they said, local residents would be deprived of a decent night's sleep.