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Government responds to 'Ticket Touting' report

Summary

This paper, 'Government Response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee Report on Ticket Touting' (Cm. 7346), presents the Government's response to the January 2008 Culture, Media and Sport Committee Report 'Ticket Touting' (HC 202).

The Committee's Report examined the whole ticket market, looking at attitudes to secondary selling, the scale of the secondary market, legislation relevant to secondary selling, and what the industries had done to tackle touting.

The Committee agreed with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) view that regulatory intervention should only be introduced as a last resort. Instead, the Committee welcomed the emergence of a system whereby those responsible for providing events would be able to share in the profits made in the secondary market. This move towards constructive dialogue between creators and secondary marketers was welcomed and the Committee called upon all interested parties to get involved and seek a voluntary solution.

In this response, the Government agrees with many of the conclusions and recommendations made by the Committee, particularly that the secondary sale of free tickets (for charitable events) should be prevented. The Government also reiterates it's intention to use legislation as a last resort only.

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Law-Making Explained

This is a Command Paper (Cm. 7346, 2007-08). It is a paper from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Find out more about Command Papers.

How does it affect me?

If you are involved in the sale of tickets for entertainment events, or regularly purchase tickets for such events, this affects you.

Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, Andy Burnham, said: "Fans are the lifeblood of our sporting and entertainment culture, and young fans keen to get to events are often the most exploited. Event owners and promoters need to work harder to ensure that real fans get tickets at a fair price. We’ve seen good examples of how this can work at major events. The whole industry now needs to take action to ensure that distribution is fair and effective."

Further Reading

Find out more about the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)

Read more on the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Read more on the January 2008 Report 'Ticket Touting' (HC 202)

Read the full DCMS press release accompanying this response (21 April 2008)


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