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Legislation / Legal
DCMS: Rule changes announced last week will mean that community venues – including community centres, schools, village halls & hospitals – will be exempt from licensing restrictions on a range of entertainment and cultural events. They will be free to put on events like dance displays & concerts without having to apply to the local council for a licence.
Following Parliamentary approval, DCMS expect the measures to come into effect in England & Wales by April 2013. The remaining legislative measures for live & recorded music will be introduced to Parliament as soon as possible. They also intend to consult next year on measures that examine community film screenings.
CC: The Competition Commission is to investigate the proposed merger of the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (RBCH) and Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (PH). The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has referred the merger to the CC, which will decide whether the acquisition may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition.
This is the first merger between 2 NHS foundation trusts to be examined by the CC since the enactment of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (HSCA), which confirmed the OFT and CC’s roles in assessing the competition aspects of mergers involving foundation trusts.
Ofgem: New Ofgem rules came into force last week to ensure energy suppliers do more to detect, prevent & investigate gas theft. Gas suppliers will also be required to set up a new body to help improve theft detection by March 2014.
