Topical question asked in the House of Commons, by Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Monday, 12 May 2008 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Topical Questions

Question: What are the Government doing to enforce existing legislation against ticket touting? Ahead of the FA Cup final, for example, there are numerous illegal tickets available online. Now the head of the UK policing unit has written to me, saying that"““the majority of Police Match Commanders do not deem it appropriate or necessary for police resources to be deployed to deal with ticket touts””." How can anyone take seriously the Secretary of State's promise to get tough on ticket touts when the police do not?

Answer: There is more we can do in this area. I have been disappointed—in fact it is worse; frankly, I have been appalled—at some of the reports I have read of people profiteering on the back of football supporters in this country in the run-up to the UEFA cup final, the champions league final and, indeed, the FA cup final. I take the view that there is more we can do, so I am working with the governing bodies in sport and the promoters of major music and others. For some events, we take the principle that access should be enshrined in legislation for broadcasting purposes, but I personally believe that we should have a stronger system of ticket allocation around sporting events, particularly when they are of national significance. I believe that with the new technology that is available, we can put more security into ticketing arrangements and ensure that more tickets get into the hands of the real fans. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will work with me in trying to achieve that objective. It is difficult, though, to make changes for events coming up in the near future.

Secondary information