Asked by Lord Mann To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they
have for the introduction of safe standing at football grounds in
England. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Barran) (Con) My Lords,
the Government are working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety
Authority—the SGSA—towards implementing the manifesto commitment to
work with fans and clubs towards introducing safe standing. The
Government expect to...Request free
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Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the
introduction of safe standing at football grounds in
England.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ()
(Con)
My Lords, the Government are working closely with the Sports
Grounds Safety Authority—the SGSA—towards implementing the
manifesto commitment to work with fans and clubs towards
introducing safe standing. The Government expect to announce next
steps in the coming weeks.
(Non-Afl)
I declare my interest as the elected chair of the Leeds
United Supporters Club. Every supporters’ club in the Premier
League backs safe standing now. What timescale is the Minister
giving clubs for the rather complex discussions and arrangements to
introduce it for next season?
(Con)
I had hoped that the noble Lord would be stunned and happy at
the accuracy of my prediction about more information in the next
few weeks. He will also be aware that my right honourable friend
the Secretary of State confirmed that standing would be seen at top
games this season, albeit in all likelihood initially in pilot
form.
(LD)
My Lords, the Minister has given us some information but not
very much. Would she like to start by thanking my noble friend Lord
Foster for setting this ball rolling with a Private Member’s Bill
about 10 years ago? If we are going to do work in football stadiums
to change the way that seats are put out, can we have an assurance
that the first thing we will do is make sure that wheelchair and
disability access are of a sufficient standard? This has been
promised for even longer than my noble friend’s Bill.
(Con)
I hope I can address both of the noble Lord’s points. I am
delighted to thank the noble Lord, Lord Foster, for his early work
on this. The research by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority has
demonstrated that introducing standing areas can not only reduce
conflict but improve wheelchair access.
(Lab)
My Lords, over the summer, we sadly learned of the passing of
Andrew Devine, who suffered life-changing injuries during the
Hillsborough disaster. The coroner ruled that he should be
considered the 97th fatality caused by the events of 15 April 1989.
Since the horrors of that day, many improvements have been made at
football grounds and these must be welcomed. While Labour supports
exploring options for the safe reintroduction of standing, it
remains an emotive issue for many. Can the Minister confirm that
the department recognises the need to handle this topic sensitively
and take time to consider fully the evidence gathered in pilots
across various leagues before making a final decision?
(Con)
The noble Lord makes an extremely important point. Obviously,
the context of all these discussions is the Hillsborough tragedy,
which he rightly raises. The department is currently working with a
wide range of supporter groups. Our absolute abiding principle is
that we will never compromise safety and never return to the
tragedies of old.
(LD)
My Lords, safe standing is already working very successfully
all around the world, including in Scotland. However, the Minister
will be aware that there are many different forms of safe standing,
even within the lower divisions in England. Can the Minister give
us an absolute assurance that any new regulations that come forward
will take this into account to make sure that a range of allowable
options will suit the needs of clubs of all sizes and all sorts of
stadia, not just those in the top flight of the game? With so many
examples working so successfully, can she explain why we are still
talking about the need for further pilots?
(Con)
The noble Lord will be aware that the Sports Grounds Safety
Authority commissioned independent research into this, which is in
the public domain. It published its Safe Management of Persistent
Standing in Seated Areas report. As the noble Lord said, this
confirmed the very positive impact this has had on spectator
behaviour, particularly in relation to away fans. That is what we
will be updating on in more detail in the coming weeks.
