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12.44 pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. John McFall): I congratulate the hon. Member for East Londonderry (Mr. Ross) on securing this debate and, for the second time today from the Dispatch Box, I wish him and his right hon. and hon. Friends a very good St. Patrick's day. At the moment, I should be on my knees at the service at which Lord Molyneaux is giving the sermon. Although it might have been better for my soul if I had attended the service, there are urgent temporal matters to which we must attend.
I congratulate hon. Members who have turned up for the debate this morning. The hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Mr. Donaldson) was in the Chamber last night; his local club is the Distillery football club. The right hon. Member for Strangford (Mr. Taylor) has concerns about Ards football club. The hon. Member for East Antrim (Mr. Beggs) is concerned about Larne and Ballyclare football clubs and, I think, Carrick Rangers.
The hon. Member for South Antrim (Mr. Forsythe) was a distinguished footballer and is a personal friend of Bertie Peacock. I remember being taken to Parkhead when I was a tiny tot and seeing Bertie Peacock in his distinguished role as left-half for Celtic. He did himself and the club tremendous credit and he also did Northern Ireland great credit. I must not forget the hon. Member for Belfast, North (Mr. Walker), who is concerned with the Crusaders and Cliftonville clubs. We have a full turnout today and, if we wanted to, we could distinguish ourselves on the football ground as well as in the Chamber.
Let me turn to serious business. The hon. Member for East Londonderry is aware that I wrote to him on 4 January about issues arising from the comprehensive spending review and about safety at football grounds. I have received a number of representations from right hon. and hon. Members since then, and shall mention them later in my speech.
The Government acknowledge the important contribution made by sport to the enhancement of the quality of life of the people of Northern Ireland. As I said
in last night's Adjournment debate, the Ulster victories in rugby's European cup and the staging, in two weeks' time, of the world cross-country championships, have brought the significance of sport to the fore in Northern Ireland. I am the first to accept that we have fallen behind and that something needs to be done. In the short time for which I have an influence in such matters, I want to ensure that sport is a live item on the agenda of the Northern Ireland Assembly so that the issue can be tackled, both nationally--the national stadium is extremely important--and locally. That would be positive and good, not only for sport, but for the whole community.
As the hon. Gentleman pointed out, another key consideration is safety at sports grounds. I give an assurance that the Government are fully aware of the need to strengthen health and safety at major sports venues in Northern Ireland. Those venues extend not only to soccer, but to rugby and Gaelic sports. We are aware of the potential of more welcoming grounds to attract increased numbers of spectators and, in so doing, to contribute to the well-being of sport and its development.
I was at Ravenhill for the European rugby semi-final; the official seating figure is 2,000, but temporary seating was installed so total attendance was about 20,000. After the game, we were told that there was to be a match at Lansdowne Road in Dublin, where the capacity is about 60,000. We thought that the ground might be half full but, as right hon. and hon. Members know, on the day, not only was the ground full, but attendance could easily have been doubled. Interest in sport is tremendous and a strong aspect of that interest is that it is cross-community. During the Adjournment debate, I mentioned that I drove from Dublin airport with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. We passed endless pubs from which people were overflowing into the streets. I was only sad that I did not have time to partake of any Guinness before I reached the ground. The enthusiasm on that day was tremendous and it has had a lasting impact on Northern Ireland.
I am able to report that, in recent months, my officials and I have met a number of interested groups and individuals in Northern Ireland, including an all-party delegation, the Irish Football Association and the Irish Football League to discuss concerns. I have also met representatives of the Football Trust, which has been the main conduit for financial support for safety improvements in Great Britain following the Taylor report on the Hillsborough stadium disaster in 1989. Those meetings have been most useful and we have tried to find a way of making progress in that important area.
I am pleased to be able to provide an update on safety at sports grounds in Northern Ireland. By way of background, I should explain that, following the strengthening of safety legislation in Great Britain in the wake of the Taylor report, the need for equivalent action in Northern Ireland was considered by an inter- departmental working group chaired by the Department of Education and drawn from the health and safety inspectorate of the Department of Economic Development, the Department of the Environment, the Northern Ireland Office, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Sports Council for Northern Ireland. The working group's final report has made several recommendations, including the need to introduce for Northern Ireland legislation, similar to that which exists in Great Britain, covering larger venues.
The proposal for new legislation governing safety at sports grounds would affect not only 19 soccer grounds but one rugby ground and seven Gaelic football venues. A compliance cost assessment prepared as part of the report suggests that the cost of upgrading safety standards at Northern Ireland sports grounds in line with Great Britain would be about £20 million. The report envisaged an improvement programme phased over several years, which is again similar to the approach taken in England. It also envisaged that clubs would be required to contribute some 25 per cent. of the cost, but recognised that other funding, perhaps through the Football Trust, would be required.
The hon. Member for East Londonderry mentioned Coleraine football club in his constituency and the fact that it is facing closure. It is clearly important to keep such venues open. The short-term solution involves the Sports Council for Northern Ireland and the long-term solution involves the Football Trust, legislation and the Assembly. However, we do not need legislation to move on that problem initially. I hope that it will reassure hon. Members when I say that we are actively discussing the matter with the Football Trust.
Let me comment on Coleraine football club, to which the hon. Gentleman referred specifically. Local health and safety officers inspected the showgrounds, the home of the club, last year. Media reports suggested that £250,000 would be needed to put the ground in order and mentioned the threat of closure. We understand that, unofficially, the cost is likely to be less than £250,000. However, the club has not approached the Sports Council--which can provide limited help in the short term--for assistance. I suggest that the hon. Gentleman urges Coleraine to explore every funding avenue, including the Sports Council.
Although my ministerial colleagues and I have signed up, in principle, to the recommendations in the report, I emphasise that it will be for the new Northern Ireland Assembly to decide how matters should proceed. I realise that that presents uncertainties, which include the Assembly's acceptance of the proposals and the time scale within the Assembly's legislative programme for introducing any new legislation to strengthen safety requirements.
It is worth noting at this point that individual clubs have an obligation to meet the requirements of existing general health and safety legislation. The Sports Council for Northern Ireland makes available modest grants from the sports lottery fund for health and safety improvements at sports grounds. Although that is a useful contribution, Northern Ireland's share of the sports lottery fund is not sufficiently large to cope with the capital requirements needed to deal with the problem of safety at sports grounds. The Sports Council has begun a safety awareness and education programme involving the major spectator sports. That work is very important as a means of promoting a health and safety culture and encouraging club managers to face up to their obligations.
My overarching concern is that further progress should be made towards ensuring the safety and comfort of those who attend sporting events in Northern Ireland. Progress towards that end will encourage family support, and ultimately help clubs embed themselves more firmly in their local communities. We must remember the community as well as the sporting element. It is important to encourage the fertilisation of communities and
eliminate the cross-community divide in the long term. Health and safety improvements at sporting grounds should accompany the implementation of the Belfast agreement so that we secure a new future for Northern Ireland. Sport should take its proper place in Northern Ireland's cultural life.
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