Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2014 to Question 207071, for what reasons the correct agencies for exchanging information relevant to policing international football matches would be difficult to identify if the UK ceased to be bound by Council Decision 2002/348/JHA.

If the UK ceased to be bound by Council Decision 2002/348/JHA, it would cease to be a member of the National Football Information Points (NFIPs) network.

Information exchange between Member States independent of the structure and obligations of the NFIP risks making it more difficult to guarantee appropriate high-quality information. The lack of structure and obligations would make it more difficult to identify the correct agency with which to deal and could lead to a reduction in the quality and quantity of information exchanged, making it harder to protect the public.