§ 18. Mr. Canavanasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what subjects he expects to discuss at his next meeting with the football authorities.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneI have a regular dialogue with the football authorities, covering in particular the initiatives being taken domestically and in Europe to prevent and control crowd violence at matches.
§ Mr. CanavanTo make up for the discriminatory ban against Scottish football fans, which was tried at Wembley two years ago, will the Minister ask the Football Association to ensure a fairer allocation of tickets this year so that as many Scottish fans as possible can go to Wembley to watch their team beat England, especially as recent improvements in the behaviour of Scottish football fans have been so great that many of them have set a good example to some of the hooligan elements south of the border?
§ Mr. MacfarlaneI am sure that the authorities in the Football Associations in both England and Scotland will note what the hon. Gentleman has said.
§ Mr. OgdenWhen the Minister meets the football authorities, will he not spend too much time on the televising issue but encourage those who want to go and watch football matches at football stadiums to do so rather than go elsewhere?
§ Mr. MacfarlaneThat seems to go right to the heart of the matter, namely, whether the British public believe that the quality of product on display at professional football grounds is one on which they want to spend their money.
§ Mr. BudgenWhen my hon. Friend next meets the football authorities, will he take the opportunity to outline his important new responsibilities in respect of children's play?
§ Mr. MacfarlaneI shall undertake to do that if my hon. Friend will approach the representatives of Wolverhampton Wanderers football club.