I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Allen, for taking this Adjournment Matter on the need for the Minister for Education to outline the action she intends to take on foot of the report on the code of practice for safety at sports arenas, 1991, and the concern of all sporting organisations at this inaction. Many sporting bodies are aware that legislation governing arenas and their use by fans or spectators is urgently needed. Public liability insurance is now a major problem for many sporting and charitable organisations. Many sporting bodies are investing funds in their stadia. There is an urgent need for legislation to cover the code of practice for safety at sports arenas, including entrances, exits, barriers, etc. Charitable organisations are now unable to hold functions at many venues due to the cost of public liability insurance. These fund raising events are in many cases the sole providers of funding for such charitable bodies. I ask that urgent attention be given to the implementation of legislation to cover such problems and that the code of practice for safety at sports arenas be used as the basis for same.
Adjournment Matters. - Safety at Sports Arenas.
I am grateful to the Senator for raising this important matter which is of serious concern to me. Indeed, on the morning of the soccer match against England in Lansdowne Road I told the Dáil that one of my priorities as Minister for Sport is to publish the code of practice on safety at sportsgrounds. It is vital that supporters and spectators can attend sporting fixtures without fear of injury of mishap.
After the Lansdowne Road incident I visited a number of football grounds in England and examined at first hand the various security and crowd safety measures in operation there. Thankfully, the trouble caused by football hooligans in England does not happen here in Ireland. Such disgraceful behaviour is alien to our culture and to our sport. However, the experience and insights I gained in England are proving to be of enormous benefit to me in finalising the code of practice.
Mr. Justice Finlay's report on the incident in Lansdowne Road on 15 February, which was published yesterday, also provides very valuable information and guidance in this important area. As the Senator knows, the Hamilton committee, which was set up after the Hillsborough stadium disaster, made a number of varied recommendations. Among the recommendations was that a code of practice for safety at sportsgrounds should be prepared.
The Department of Education is designated as the Department responsible for the preparation of the code of practice for safety at sportsgrounds. The working party appointed to prepare the code also prepared a code of practice for safety at outdoor pop concerts and other outdoor musical events as it was felt that this aspect of crowd control merited consideration in a separate code of practice. In preparing the codes extensive consultation took place with the major sporting organisations, such as the GAA, the Football Association of Ireland, concert promoters, local authorities, health boards, voluntary health organisations, the Garda Síochána and Government Departments.
The safety of the public in places of assembly is the responsibility of those who organise the event or who administer the ground or venue in which it is held. This arises from the common law duty of care by those in charge of the venue to the patrons who pay to attend the event. It is the joint responsibility of the ground owner and the promoter of the event to ensure that the standards and requirements for safety of the public are strictly observed before, during and after the event.
The codes are voluntary and are an aid to professional judgment and common sense, not a substitute. The codes do not attempt to provide a universal standard but set out achievable standards. Although some of the safety standards are likely to apply to all sports grounds irrespective of the number of spectators present, it is nevertheless important to relate them to the needs of each individual ground.
The codes will apply to all grounds with a holding capacity of 20,000 spectators or more. Management of grounds at this level will be expected to comply with all the guidelines contained in the codes. Where grounds do not meet these guidelines it is expected that measures should be taken within a reasonable timescale to remedy safety defects. In grounds of lesser capacity, ground management should apply the relevant criteria contained in the code to ensure safety at the ground, enlisting professional expertise where necessary.
Many of the recommendations contained in the Hamilton report have already been put into effect by the relevant authorities. However, many of them have not yet been implemented. I hope that the code of practice, when published, will encompass the recommendations that have not been implemented and that these recommendations will be of enormous benefit to sports organisations, to owners of stadia and to groups arranging sporting and other events.
I am sure that the Senator shares my concern that genuine Irish sports fans and their children should be able to enjoy sport in comfort and in safety. The codes of practice will go a long way to ensure the comfort and safety of spectators. It is my intention that these codes will be published in the very near future. They will be circulated widely to sports organisations, to management authorities of stadia and to organisers of events.