§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about ticket touting at major sporting events in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Moynihan[holding answer 16 June 1988]: I have received three letters on this subject. One concerning touting in general and two on touting at football matches and in particular the FA cup final.
This is an issue which the Department and the Home Office have considered very carefully, especially in the context of the damage that black market ticket sales for major football matches can do to the efforts of the police and clubs to segregate rival fans effectively. However, it is not yet clear that a practicable and enforceable legal answer to this problem can be found. It may well be that a better solution to the problem rests with tighter controls by the organisers of sporting events over the distribution of tickets, and the imposition of sanctions against those found abusing the controls.