Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether all of the issues of accountability identified in the report by Baroness Casey of Blackstock into the disorder at Wembley Stadium in the UEFA Euro 2020 Final, published on 3 December 2021, have been resolved; whether her recommendations for action have been implemented; and whether His Majesty's Government will publish an overview of all the measures taken by the different parties involved.

The safety of spectators at sporting events is of the highest importance to His Majesty’s Government. We continue to work closely with all relevant authorities to ensure that football fans can continue to enjoy the sport whilst attending matches safely.

This review was commissioned by, and reported to, the English Football Association, with reference made to the Government in four of the recommendations. Our approach with respect to these recommendations is outlined in our evidence to the DCMS Select Committee of the House of Commons’ Inquiry into Safety at Major Sporting Events, a copy of which I will place in the Library.

The action taken by the Government includes extending football banning orders to cover offences of the selling and taking of Class A drugs at football games (under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022), commissioning the Sports Ground Safety Authority to conduct and act on research about the stewarding capacity in the events sector, and working with numerous relevant parties on issues related to Zone Ex, with a particular focus on issues faced at Wembley. The Government is further considering its role in the oversight and co-ordination of major sporting events to inform a revision of the Gold Framework guidance on UK-level support available when bidding for and staging major sporting events.