Member

On Amendment 168 and protecting the earnings of child performers, I understand the noble Baroness’s concerns. I hope I can provide some reassurance on that. Local authorities already have the power to include conditions in their licences that the sums earned by a child be dealt with in a particular manner by the licence holder. The purpose of that regulation is to ensure that parents and those with parental responsibility do not unjustly spend a child’s earnings. In many cases, the sums involved would not warrant such a condition, and licensing authorities will seldom, if ever, need to consider that. But as the noble Baroness identified, with increasing high-earning opportunities for children you can envisage a situation where a child involved in a high-profile film or television series could receive significant sums of money. In these cases, or when a child gets consistently high levels of work, the licensing authority certainly should consider whether a condition on how the sums are dealt with is appropriate and in the best interests of the child. Local authorities are best placed to decide on a case-by-case basis, based on the situation and context, what best suits a child’s needs. In the broader context of reforming the regulations, that will be one of the issues borne in mind in that revision.