Member

On Amendments 12 and 13, in the names of the noble Lords, Lord Maude of Horsham and Lord Markham, the noble Lords have raised several areas that they wish to be included within the Bill’s definition of the sustainability of English football. At Second Reading we heard from a number of noble Lords, including many on the Benches opposite, about the need to keep this Bill proportionate and avoid mission creep. These amendments would in the Government’s view do exactly the opposite. As the noble Lord, Lord Addington, highlighted, these amendments would significantly expand the scope of the regulator and put in place a much more interventionist regime than this Government or the previous Government proposed. The regulator would be required to become actively involved in issues such as overall match attendance. It is unclear how a regulator would achieve this without directly intervening on issues such as ticket prices. I am sure that is not the noble Lord’s intention.