Sale of Tickets (Sporting and Cultural Events) Bill

Jacob Rees-Mogg Excerpts

Friday 21st January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Jacob Rees-Mogg (North East Somerset) (Con)]

I thank the hon. Lady for being both gracious and generous in giving way a second time so quickly. If the charity fails to sell its tickets for the market price, which is £106, that is its fault. It ought to investigate other ways to sell its tickets, such as eBay, to maximise its return, rather than our introducing a harsh legislative measure.

[Mrs Hodgson]

The charity decides on the price based on the genuine, ordinary fans whom it wishes to attract. It is often aware that the price is sometimes below the market value, but the reason is that it does not want to attract only people who can afford to pay £106. It wants to attract a broad cross-section of people. It does not just want elite people in the audiences at such events. I will give further examples in due course.

--- Later in debate ---

[Sajid Javid]

The hon. Lady seems to suggest that anyone who earns a profit over a certain margin must be engaged in some kind of criminal or fraudulent activity, and that is clearly not the case. I hope that she accepts that, as has been mentioned, many ticket touts—perhaps the vast majority—are legitimate, have got the tickets in an honest way, and are not engaged in any kind of criminal or illegitimate activity at all.

[Jacob Rees-Mogg]

I wonder whether my hon. Friend might cast his mind over the issue of people buying up large numbers of tickets. Is that not actually enormously to the advantage of promoters of events, who are guaranteed a certain number of sales—the tickets may not be sold on subsequently—and get their cash flow early on? It is not simply a case of the practice disadvantaging the personal shopper.

[Sajid Javid]

My hon. Friend makes a fair point. In some cases, that can be advantageous, but I accept that where there is clearly very high demand, there are sometimes good reasons to restrict the number of tickets that an individual can buy.

--- Later in debate ---

[Philip Davies]

I heard the hon. Lady’s argument the first time around; I was not persuaded by it then and I am not persuaded by it now.

Before anybody suggests that I am going to talk out this Bill, I should say that it is absolutely my intention—in fact, it is a guarantee—to speak for less time than the hon. Lady did when proposing it. So I hope there will be no arguments about that.

[Jacob Rees-Mogg]

My hon. Friend will have to do that, because this particular business ends at 2.30 pm so the time available is obviously less.

[Philip Davies]

My hon. Friend spotted that, too, but the situation is beyond my control. If you, Madam Deputy Speaker, tell me—not for the first time—that I have to conclude my remarks, I shall accept your ruling with the good grace that I always show.