§ 30 Mr. FRANK GRAYasked the Home Secretary (1) whether the Metropolitan Police, when accepting duty on premises to which the public have not access, such as Wembley Park and other places, accept responsibility for the preservation of order; if so, whether they decide the strength of the force required and make provision for available reserves;
(2) whether he will institute an inquiry, in the interests of the Metropolitan Police, into the arrangements made in connection with the final of the English Cup at Wembley, the failure to make reasonable provision for the safety of spectators, and the inability to cope with the serious and dangerous situation which arose as a result;
(3) whether he will take steps to prevent the user of the Stadium at Wembley Park for any large gathering till such time as the entrances and exits to and from the structures and ground have been replanned and rebuilt to make them reasonably safe for the public; and whether he will consider the advisability of initiating legislation requiring all grounds and buildings to which the public are invited in large numbers to be licensed only after the appropriate licensing authority has satisfied itself as to the proper planning and construction of the premises for the purposes proposed, and under conditions and regulations requiring good management and control?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONAs regards the first, two questions, I can add nothing to the answer given by my right hon. Friend yesterday. As regards the third question, if some form of Committee is appointed to consider the question in all its aspects, the adequacy of existing powers in relation to grounds and buildings of the kind would be one of the matters for inquiry.
§ Captain Viscount CURZONWill the hon. Gentleman also include in the scope of the inquiry some of the football fields around Oxford?