Lap dancing in a different league

I only have an entirely professional interest in lap dancing clubs, of course, so my first thoughts on the new campaign to re-classify them were completely legal.

The term "sex encounter establishment" is not new. It was coined some years ago by the then head of licensing in Westminster, which had a habit of introducing its own laws (some would say it still does) for regulating what went on in the form of entertainment in the capital, in particular "peep shows" in Soho. There was, during the '80s, something of a moral campaign anyway, which looks as if it is returning.

The same authority also introduced a "near-beer licence", would you believe, for those premises that tried to rip off Middle Eastern visitors by selling them over-priced non-alcoholic products to go with the entertainment.

Why the industry is worried is that the current licence for sex-encounter establishments, which really exists, is accompanied by a raft of conditions that cannot be added to the normal premises licence. That is confined to the four licensing objectives, of course, and it is clear that "the preservation of public morals" is not one of them. It is not for the licensing committee to pass judgment on whether girls should take their clothes off in public or not.

It should also be noted that the Act defining this type of premises specifically excludes premises licensed under the Licensing Act 2003 from its effect. So there is currently no chance of the campaign succeeding unless they change the law, after a full debate in both Houses of Parliament.

As many readers will know, a 10-minute rule bill is merely a device to raise an issue and virtually never progresses beyond that brief moment of fame when it is introduced. It would require Government intervention of some kind to give credibility to a legislative change that could have far-reaching effects.

But no sector of the trade should feel complacent nowadays about what MPs can do. We have seen enough new trade-bashing measures in recent years to know that what seems like small protest today can turn into controlling legislation tomorrow.

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the "sex industry" tag will stick, and if a senior member of the Government becomes involved, then proposed re-classification could well be placed on the agenda. The new trade body may find that it is dancing to a different tune in future.