This was identified in the DCMS Simplification Plan, published in December 2006, as one area of regulation where the Department could reduce the administration burden on businesses and non-commercial organisations.
Currently, where licence and certificate holders wish to make small changes to their licence or certificate they must apply for a full variation, which involves advertising the variation in a local newspaper or circular and copying the application to all the responsible authorities. If taken forward, the minor variations proposal would provide a low cost, simplified procedure for making a change to a licence or certificate where the change is likely to have no adverse impact on the four licensing objectives.
Subject to the results of this consultation, any amendments to the Licensing Act will be made through a Legislative Reform Order which would require Parliamentary consideration. This includes scrutiny by the Regulatory Reform Committee in the House of Commons and the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee in the House of Lords. You are welcome to put your views in writing before either or both of the Scrutiny Committees. The Committees will normally decide on the basis of written submissions whether to take oral evidence. Further details about the Parliamentary process, including contact addresses for the Scrutiny Committees, can be found in the consultation document at Annex D.
Consultation Documents:
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How to Respond:
The deadline for responses to this consultation is 20 February 2008.
If you would like to respond to the consultation or have any queries please contact:
Licensing Minor Variations Team
Tourism, Licensing and Economic Impact Division
6th Floor
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street
London
SW1Y 5DH
Email: licensingconsultation@culture.gov.uk
A summary of the consultation responses, as well as copies of all responses, will be made available on the DCMS website within three months after the consultation has closed. It is assumed, therefore, that your reply can be made publicly available. In addition, all information in responses, including personal information, may be subject to publication or disclosure under freedom of information legislation. If a correspondent requests confidentiality, this cannot be guaranteed and will only be possible if considered appropriate under the legislation. Any such request should explain why confidentiality is necessary. Any automatic confidentiality disclaimer generated by your IT system will not be considered as such a request unless you specifically include a request, with an explanation, in the main text of your response.
If you have any queries about the consultation you can contact the Licensing Minor Variations Team at the above address or by telephone on 020 7211 6322 or 020 7211 6380
However, if you have any questions or complaints about the process of consultation on this paper, please contact Mythily Manickavasagar, Consultation Co-ordinator, Strategy Division, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, 2-4 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5DH. mythily.manickavasagar@culture.gsi.gov.uk
Further detail about the Government’s Simplification Plans Initiative is available from the Better Regulation Executive.
