§ 27. Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many meetings he has had to date with the football authorities to discuss arrangements for the World Cup.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for the Environment (Mr. Neil Macfarlane)I first met the chairman of the three Football Associations last November to discuss arrangements for the World Cup. At that meeting I established a liaison group between the Government and the football authorities to carry things forward. This group has met formally on four occasions, and has also met together in Spain for discussions with the Spanish authorities in the areas where our teams were due to play. There has been regular and informal contact in between these meetings.
§ Mr. CanavanHas the Minister yet been able to ascertain the exact circumstances of the violent confrontation between Scottish and English football fans at Lloret de Mar last night after the Scotland v Soviet Union match? As the Scottish Office Minister responsible for sport is reported to have been at the match, would he not be an appropriate person to conduct an on-the-spot investigation into this tragic and deplorable incident, which should not be allowed to mar one of the greatest sporting occasions in the world?
§ Mr. MacfarlaneSo far I have not had detailed reports of the incident to which the hon. Gentleman refers. I and other Ministers have attended some of the matches over the past week and, from what I have seen, the behaviour of our fans in the stadium has been exemplary. There have been one or two bad examples outside the stadium. I shall look into the incident at Lloret de Mar and report back in due course.
§ Mr. CrouchDoes my hon. Friend agree that the most important meetings in the World Cup that are now about to take place will be carried out by the English team and that we hope that it will win all those meetings?
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThat is a statement which I—and I am sure other hon. Members—wholeheartedly support.
§ Mr. CanavanEngland got an easy draw.