§ 7. Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what recent meeting he has had with representatives of the Professional Footballers Association.
§ Mr. Eldon GriffithsI refer the hon. Member to my reply yesterday to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull, West (Mr. James Johnson)—[Vol. 849, c 101–2].
§ Mr. DalyellIn view of the escalation of transfer fees and the financial state of many clubs with players who are bought on the never-never, will the Minister convene a meeting at the PFA's request between that body, the Football League and himself to discuss the restriction of players which has led to a situation where many clubs pay thousands of pounds in transfer fees out of money which frankly they do not possess?
§ Mr. GriffithsIn the first instance this is a matter for the football clubs themselves. It would be wrong for the Government to seek to intervene in their private affairs. If the football authorities as a whole—the players, the association and the league—were to ask me to join in a meeting which included them all, I should consider it.
§ Dr. StuttafordAlthough there are these problems, does my hon. Friend agree that it is still possible for a comparatively small city such as Norwich to field a very good side capable of beating the best?
§ Mr. GriffithsYes, Sir, and I congratulate Norwich City on its splendid appearance in the First Division. As an East Anglian myself I know that having both 441 Norwich and Ipswich back in the First Division has added to the interests in football throughout the Eastern Counties.
§ Mr. Ashtonis the hon. Gentleman aware of the Chester Report which my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Small Heath (Mr. Denis Howell) persuaded the House to commission back in 1968? Does the hon. Gentleman never intend to implement the recommendations in that report?
§ Mr. GriffithsOf course I am aware of it. However, the vast majority of the recommendations in the Chester Report were for football itself. I look to football to take the necessary action about it.
§ Mr. MartenAre the transfer fees of any individual player caught under the Counter-Inflation Bill?
§ Mr. GriffithsIn the first instance this is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to whose attention I shall draw my hon. Friend's question.
§ Mr. Denis HowellAlthough the hon. Gentleman seems to think that most of these matters are for the football authorities, he will be aware that he himself set a good precedent by intervening concerning discipline on the field. That can hardly be said to be a matter for the Government. Will the hon. Gentleman consider presenting the House with a White Paper on the Chester and Lang Reports so that four years after the first one we can have facts about the amount of progress that has been made and reach a more mature judgment than is possible at the moment?
§ Mr. GriffithsI will consider any suggestion that the hon. Gentleman has to make. He has great knowledge of these matters and considerable experience. However, I believe that in the first instance these are matters for the football authorities themselves. They are not the business of the Government or of this House.