Baroness Mackenzie of Sherwood (Lab)

My Lords, I will continue. The convention is deliberately technology neutral and this, I hope, addresses a point that several noble Lords have very correctly raised. It allows countries to respond to emerging threats without requiring wholesale changes to the treaty itself. The UK will continue to engage constructively through the convention’s governance arrangements to ensure that international co-operation and best practice keep pace with these developments. The committee has supported the convention’s pragmatic approach and welcomed the Government’s intention to ratify. It also recognised that ratification is expected to create opportunities and benefits for the UK and its international partners, while the costs and burdens are expected to be limited. The committee also rightly recognised, as have many of the contributors to this debate today, that ratification is not in itself a complete solution to the manipulation of sports competitions. The Government agree with this. We know that tackling this threat requires continued work domestically and internationally, including action against unregulated betting markets and continued co-operation between Governments, regulators, law enforcement and sports bodies. I thank noble Lords for the emphasis they have placed on the responsibility of sports bodies. The committee also made a number of observations about the Government’s Explanatory Memorandum and future treaty scrutiny processes. We will consider these carefully and respond to the committee formally. I would like just quickly, if I have a little time, to respond to some of the other points that have been raised. I apologise if we are unable to respond adequately to the points raised on the CRaG process, and I will return to that and to other points so wisely raised by the noble Lord, Lord Johnson, and my noble friend Lord Stevenson and other noble Lords. The noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, raised the important issue of modern slavery and sport trafficking, giving the example of 15,000 young players from west Africa. I feel that this is an extraordinarily important area. It is not absolutely relevant to the convention of the Council of Europe, but it is an area I would like to raise with colleagues in the Home Office. I would be happy to pursue that, as it is a point of urgency and priority. I am also, I am afraid, going to suggest to the noble Lord, Lord Verdirame, that I report back on the possible tensions between the FCDO and the DCMS and see if we can get some clarity on those points. I would like to quote, if I may, from the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, that trust is the entire currency of sport and that this has to remain the gold standard to which we all aspire. I think his point about the importance of sporting governing bodies taking a lead in this area is vital. It is very important for all of us that we are all partners; we have listed all the partners who have to be involved, but the leadership must come from the sports’ governing bodies. Indeed, noble Lords, in particular the noble Lord, Lord Parkinson, have correctly drawn attention to the importance of international governing bodies and the nations that are seeking or managing to win international events. They are in a very powerful position to be a force for good. Those awarding the glory and honour of an international major sporting event have a lot of power to raise standards by making this a vital part of the process for selection. I apologise if there are other points that I should have raised but have not. I end by offering the noble Lord, Lord Hannay, good news: ratification will happen straight away after this process, which is a nice clear answer to his question. The Government consider that the UK already has strong domestic arrangements for tackling sports manipulation. Ratification will formalise those arrangements internationally, strengthen our participation in the convention’s governance and help us to co-operate more effectively with international partners. It will also allow the UK to continue contributing its expertise to the international effort to protect the integrity of sport and respond to a threat that is increasingly global in nature. The Government welcome the committee’s scrutiny and its support for ratifying the Macolin convention. We look forward to continuing to work with our international partners and stakeholders across sport, gambling and law enforcement to protect the integrity of sport.