§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons resident in the United Kingdom are currently subject to restriction orders requiring them to report to police stations when certain sporting fixtures take place in the United Kingdom or overseas.
329W(2) how many persons resident in the United Kingdom, currently subject to restriction orders, travelled to Dublin on the day before or on the day of the recent England v. Ireland match; and what action is being taken against such persons.
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerInformation received from the Restriction Orders Authority, which was established under the Football Spectators Act 1989 and is based in the national criminal intelligence service, indicates that two restriction orders are currently extant. I understand that one of those subject to such an order presented himself to a police station as required under section 19(3)(b) of the Act. The authority is not yet in a position to confirm whether the other person concerned reported to a police station as required. However, it has no immediate reason to believe that the order was not complied with.
It is a criminal offence to fail to comply with a restriction order and anyone found guilty of this offence is liable on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or to a fine not exceeding level 3—£1,000—on the standard scale or both. It is an operational matter for the police, and ultimately the courts, to take action in this respect.
§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the powers available to United Kingdom carriers to refuse to carry those who are subject to restriction orders from the United Kingdom; what representations he has received from the police in this matter; and what representations he has received from United Kingdom carriers.
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerIt is a matter for United Kingdom carriers to decide the basis on which they might refuse to carry passengers. I have not received representations from the police or the carriers concerning this issue.