latest from the EFSDD website.

Monday 24 February 2003, two amendments to the Licensing Bill which directly affect the Folk Arts were agreed by the House of Lords. Full details are provided in EFDSS' latest statement on the Licensing Bill.

Amendment 8 creates a level playing field for recorded and live music by modifying the Bill to exempt both from licensing if they are incidental to the main activities of a premises. This was agreed by a vote of 151 to 115 in favour.

Amendment 12 provides a new exemption specifically for unamplified live music, and was agreed without a vote.

The amendments are extremely welcome and EFDSS accepts that they address its concerns about folk music and song sessions in licensed premises. However, we are worried that there is no guarantee the amendments will be accepted by the House of Commons and strongly urge the government to commit to their inclusion in the final draft of the legislation.

While EFDSS welcomes the exemptions for live music, we remain extremely concerned about the situation for folk clubs and for folk arts activities in the open on public land which we still feel are vulnerable to the effects of the Licensing Bill. A large part of our concern stems from the fact that the government is not yet consulting any organisations which represent the interests of England's folk clubs, folk dance teams, and folk play groups. A significant number of activities and informal events are still threatened by the Licensing Bill, and EFDSS urges the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to involve organisations representing all of these in the consultation process. It is vital that the drafting of the Licensing Bill and its accompanying guidelines are informed by full knowledge of the extent and nature of the folk arts in England.

The full thing + the amendements can be found here.
http://www.efdss.org/licensing/further_statement_26feb03.pdf