Football (Disorder) (Amendment) Bill (Hansard, 14 February 2002)

§ Lord Bassam of Brighton
My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill do now pass.
Moved, That the Bill do now pass.—(Lord Bassam of Brighton.)

§ Lord McNally
My Lords, throughout the passage of the Bill, we on these Benches have supported the Question that the Bill do now pass. However. I do not believe that I should let it go without making two points. First, we on these Benches remain concerned that a series of Bills has been produced in relation to football which chips away at civil liberties. The civil liberties anxieties remain and should be the concern of a wider audience. Football cannot rely on legislators to continue to apply sticking plasters to its problems when those sticking plasters involve a reduction in basic civil liberties.
My second point is that the Bill is one of a series over the past 10 to 15 years which Parliament has had to address to the problems of football. Football is not 1195 only a business; it is our national game, our national flag carrier. Those who involve themselves in professional football must take wider responsibilities. During the passage of the Bill, we have seen at all levels directors, managers and professional players conduct themselves to a standard that does not represent a role model for our national game. I do not believe that we should let the Bill pass without putting on record that we expect football to put its own house in order at all levels. It now has a national regulator, and we shall have to see how powerful that regulator is.
I also hope that the Government keep in place the committee set up under the noble Lord, Lord Bassam. That committee initially considered the problems of football disorder and what could be done about it. The disease in our national game is not cured, and it is certainly not cured by this Bill. I believe that we should give a fair warning to football that it must put its house in order; that the Government will keep behaviour under review; and that we expect football clubs to show wider social responsibility and wider concern in the communities in which they exist. Only in that context should we allow the Bill to pass. Yet again, Parliament has had to come to the aid of football when many of the cures could have come from within football itself.

§ Viscount Bridgeman
My Lords, I speak in the context of the Bill which enjoyed all-party support for the amendments proposed and passed in Committee. I very much take on board the comments made by the noble Lord, Lord McNally, in relation to the interference with civil liberties. We must be aware of those. But it is also worth remembering that the first test of the Bill came in the game between England and Germany at Munich. I believe that it can be said to have justified itself in that match. I also very much echo the noble Lord's hope that the committee under the chairmanship of the Minister will be kept in being.

§ Lord Bassam of Brighton
My Lords, tempting though it is to respond to comments made by noble Lords, I shall simply thank them very much for their support throughout the passage of the Bill. The legislation was successful in dealing with the events to which noble Lords have referred and in the run-up to the match against Holland last night. There were only 12 arrests, which is very welcome.