§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to implement the recommendation of Lord Justice Taylor's final report into the Hillsborough disaster by extending mandatory all-seated accommodation to sports grounds other than football grounds designated under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 as amended by the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987.
§ Mr. John PattenThe question whether it may be necessary or appropriate to extend mandatory all-seated accommodation to sports grounds other than football grounds designated under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 is currently under active consideration, and the subject of consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers and other interested parties.
§ Mr. John PattenSports grounds designated under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 are as follows. No distinction is now made in designating sports grounds between those which are enclosed and and those which are not. The Act used to distinguish between a "sports stadium" and a "sports ground". The term "sports stadium" was used for a sports ground where the accommodation for spectators wholly or substantially surrounds the playing area, whereas the term "sports grounds" was used for any place where sports take place in the open air. The Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987 removed this distinction and replaced the term "sports stadium" with "sports ground". Information on which grounds would formerly have been defined as sports grounds or sports stadiums is not kept centrally.