§ Mr. Gordon Brownasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if the Minister with responsibility for sport will publish his correspondence with the English Football Association over the transfer of the forthcoming Scotland v. England football match from London to Glasgow.
§ Mr. MacfarlaneI first wrote to the Football Association on 10 January expressing the concern of the Government and the transport authorities about the timing of the Englandv. Scotland football match on bank holiday Saturday 25 May. I asked whether it would be feasible to change the date of the match.
I wrote again on 22 March. My letter also dealt with other matters. The relevant paragraph read:
I must also make a further formal request to you to change the date of the England v. Scotland match currently scheduled for Bank Holiday Saturday 25 May. The Government is extremely concerned that the current timing of this fixture increases the risk of disorder and this is something which the Prime Minister is also likely to raise with you.