Debate contribution: Sporting Events Bill: Legislative Consent Motion
Debate contribution by Dr Caoimhe Archibald on .
- MLA
- Dr Caoimhe Archibald
- Party at the time
- Sinn Féin
- Date
- 20 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Executive Committee Business
- Heading
- Sporting Events Bill: Legislative Consent Motion
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5798398
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I beg to move
The legislative consent motion (LCM) endorses the extension of the provisions of the Sporting Events Bill, as introduced in the House of Lords on 14 May 2026. The Bill is intended to create a legislative framework that Governments can use when bidding for major sporting events, as contained in clauses 1 to 13, 18 to 24, 25 and 26 to 30, together with schedules 1 to 3, schedule 5 — paragraphs 1 and 3 only — and schedule 6 to the Bill. I consider that to be a positive step. I recognise the economic benefit that hosting major sporting events can bring to businesses and communities here. The Bill includes provisions in the following areas: ticket touting, advertising, trading, unauthorised association, enforcement, financial assistance, and transport and traffic management in England only. The Bill establishes a framework for regulating ticket touting, advertising and trading in connection with major sporting events. Those areas do not fall within excepted or reserved matters under schedules 2 and 3 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and are therefore within the legislative competence of the Assembly. The Bill contains 30 clauses, 25 of which will apply here. The proposal is that they be extended to this jurisdiction via an LCM. I now turn to the specific clauses in the Bill that require legislative consent. Clause 1 introduces the concept of a legislative framework for sporting events. Clause 2 sets out the powers to apply the framework provisions. Clauses 3 to 5 set out the conditions that must be met before the regulation-making powers in clause 2 may be exercised. Those clauses define the appropriate authority and make further provision for regulations that apply the ticket touting provisions to sporting events. Clauses 6 and 7 enable the designation of a person to grant authorisations in relation to ticket touting. They also enable regulations to include exceptions as to when a person may be in breach of the regulations. Clauses 8 to 10 relate to advertising provisions. They set out provisions for regulations, the designation of a person to grant authorisations and when conduct does not constitute a breach of the prohibition on advertising. Clauses 11 to 13 make further provision for regulations that apply to the trading provisions. That includes that the regulations must specify a place or places and the period for which the trading provisions apply. The regulations also set out the provisions that allow a designated person to grant authorisations and specify the circumstances in which conduct does not breach the prohibition on unauthorised trading. Clause 18 provides that regulations applying the ticket touting, advertising and/or trading provisions to a sporting event may provide for one or more Department or public authority to enforce those offences. Clauses 19 and 20 set out the circumstances in which an internet service provider does not breach the ticket touting, advertising and trading offences and the prohibition on unauthorised association. They also provide for circumstances in which a ticket touting, advertising or trading offence is committed by a corporate body. Clause 21 enables the Secretary of State to amend the maximum fine for breaches of the ticket touting, advertising and trading offences by means of regulations. Clause 22 relates to any authority making regulations that will apply the advertising and/or trading provisions having to issue and publish guidance. Clause 23 amends schedule 5 to the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and also amends the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 so that certain enforcement powers in those Acts are available to designated enforcement authorities under the Bill. Clause 24 defines terms used elsewhere in the Bill. Clause 25 provides a power for financial assistance, and that power is conferred on local devolved Departments rather than on the Secretary of State, thus enabling financial support to be provided for qualifying events hosted here. Clauses 26 and 27 enable the Secretary of State to make provisions consequential on the Bill by regulation. They make further provision for the regulations to be made under the Bill, including their form and parliamentary scrutiny. Clauses 28 to 30 explain where the Bill applies, confirm any legal changes that apply in the same areas, state that the Bill will commence two months after it has passed and give the Bill its official short title. The Bill will create a flexible common legislative framework that can be applied to support the successful bidding for and delivery of major sporting events. By having a common framework and reducing the requirement for individual administrative commitments, the North will become a more attractive prospect for hosting major sporting events. My Department has worked closely with the Department of Justice and the Department for Communities, and I acknowledge the positive and constructive engagement with officials from those Departments. Finally, I thank my Executive colleagues, who have given their support to seek legislative consent for the Bill's provisions. I thank the Committee for its interest and engagement on the matter and for the report that it produced. I therefore commend the motion to the Assembly.
I thank the Committee Chair for her contribution and support and welcome the interest that the Committee has taken in it. We all agree on the potential for further major sporting events and the benefits that they would bring from an economic and tourism perspective to our wider community and society. I look forward to working with Members to ensure that the North plays a leading role in bidding for major sporting events in the future. I recommend that the Assembly agrees the motion.
924 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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