This from Dave Eyre.

One piece of crucial information that sems to have passed a lot of people by is the company that was appointed to advise DEFRA (food and rural affairs) on the problems of noise and disorder that would follow the passing of the Licensing Bill.

This is MCM Research http://www.i-way.co.uk/~mcm/.

It might be appropriate for someone to ask Andrew Cunningham why the government appointed someone with so many close ties to the brewing industry to adivise it on noise and nuisance in pubs. Perhaps that is why the government has all seem to have managed not to know about all the problems associated with satellite TV. This "research company" "manages" to miss them all.

(Private Eye No 1071 10th - 23rd January 2003 Page 26)

Dave

Portsmouth Evening News 30 January 2003-
On the day England sent Denmark packing in their second-round World Cup tie police were called to 24 football related incidents. Within hours of the June 15 win a brawl spilled out of the White Hart pub and a series
of disturbances broke out across Havant and Waterlooville - despite a voluntary two hour pub closure.
The violence came eight days after 50 fans fought in North Street outside the Five Bells following England™s win over Argentina.

Perhaps the above could be passed on to our MPs, in the light of the extract from the following Common™s exchange and statement from Dr Howells?

1. Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden): If she will make a
statement on her policy towards the licensing of televising of sport in
public houses under the terms of the proposed Alcohol and
Entertainment Licensing Bill. [68956]

The Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting (Dr. Kim Howells): As
is the case with existing legislation, the proposed Alcohol and
Entertainment Licensing Bill will not include the licensing of the
televising of sport in public houses in its definition of public
entertainment. A publican, of course, already requires and will continue
to require a normal domestic television licence.

Siobhain McDonagh: thank my hon. Friend for his answer. However,
given the licensing disparity between televised football and live music in
pubs"the former is subject to no regulation but the latter is subject to a
complicated regulation mechanism"will he encourage members of the
Cabinet to look at introducing legislation in the Queen's Speech that will
reform the public entertainment licence system and encourage live
music and particularly young musicians in small venues?

Dr. Howells: We will certainly look at getting rid of the absurd two in a
bar rule. 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. Nor, indeed, have we had any reports of
disturbances caused by watching television in a pub"we have
certainly received some reports of incidents following the playing
of live music in pubs. Generally speaking, however, pubs are
excellent venues for live music. We want to make sure that that
continues to be the case and that there are more venues for live music,
not fewer.