Third Appointed Day was mooted by government

A "Third Appointed Day" would have solved many of the problems that have beset the build-up to the new licensing regime, a Whitehall committee was told this week.

By missing the opportunity, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers said the government had failed to give local authorities and the licensed trade enough time to prepare for the new system.

ALMR chief executive Nick Bish was giving evidence to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's select committee, which is examining how the transition to the new regime has been handled.

Mr Bish said: "With the benefit of hindsight, it would have been better if we had converted all licences with their present terms and conditions, and then decided on the system at a later date.

"They could have been given an-other year to sort it out, ahead of a 'Third Appointed Day' in 2006. Local authorities would have had more time to look at the guidance and the regulations and everyone would have had more time to apply and comply."

The committee also heard licensing minister James Purnell and local government minister Philip Woolas defend the transition to the new regime. Other parties giving evidence included Westminster City Council, Bolton Municipal Borough Council, the Local Government Association and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

The FSB said it had told the committee more should have been done to help small firms comply with the new regime.

"For instance the form that we needed to fill out was 21 pages long," said FSB spokesman Simon Briault.

"For a lot of small businesses, and a lot of small FSB members, only seven pages were actually relevant."

A spokesman for the committee said members would now look again at the evidence given at the session, together with written evidence, and decide whether or not it would publish a report.