§ Mr. Chopeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the result of his Department's initiatives to combat football hooliganism.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy hon. Friend has worked closely with the football authorities to combat violence associated with soccer. A liaison group, comprising representatives of the Government Departments concerned, the football authorities and the police, has been established firstly to oversee precautions against violence during the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain and subsequently to coordinate efforts both at home and abroad; a "blueprint" of precautions to be taken by league clubs was issued at the beginning of the 1983–84 season; and, at my hon. Friend's initiative, the Council of Europe has adopted a recommendation outlining the steps to be taken by all the authorities involved to combat this problem.
634WMost recently, my Department has published as a consultation document the report of an interdepartmental working group which considered what further measures might be employed. My hon. Friend is holding a series of meetings to discuss this, following which the Government wil make a further statement.
§ Mr. Chopeasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the Minister of Sport's discussions with the Football Association about sanctions against football clubs in relation to incidents of football hooliganism at away matches.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy hon. Friend has had no discussions with the Football Association specifically to discuss sanctions against football clubs. He last met the chairman and general secretary of the Football Association to discuss my Department's consultative document on measures to counter football hooliganism.