§ Mr. Graham Allen (Nottingham, North)I have a petition from the Football Supporters Association of the east midlands and other football supporters, and the signatures on it have been collected from places as far apart as Boston, Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and all the counties of the east midlands. The petition states:
We condemn the proposed legislation to force football supporters to carry identification cards, and we believe that a system of identity cards will have little impact on the problems of football—related violence, will hinder football's attempts to attract a new generation of supporters and will lead to the eventual demise of the game as a spectator sport.Wherefore your petitioners pray that your hon. House will urge the Government to bring forward proposals which have the support of genuine football supporters.On behalf of those genuine football supporters, I have pleasure in presenting the petition to the House. Let the Government take note.
§ To lie upon the Table
§ Mr. Jeremy Corbyn (Islington, North)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am taking petitions first.
§ Mr. Denis Howell (Birmingham, Small Heath)I, too, wish to present a humble petition by football supporters, which brings the total number of signatures to the petition to over 430,000 which, I think, makes it the third largest petition since the war. The House will be interested to know that that represents almost exactly the gate at every football club in the country on a Saturday afternoon.
The petition says that the proposed Football Spectators Bill will cause total chaos at the turnstiles to legitimate spectators entering football grounds and will impose unacceptable restrictions upon the liberties of law-abiding subjects and place unacceptable costs upon such supporters. As with the other petitions, this one states:
Wherefore your petitioners pray that your hon. House will urge the Government to bring forward proposals which will have the support of genuine football supporters. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc.
§ To lie upon the Table.
§ Mr. SpeakerThere is one more petition.