Meeting of the Parliament 15 January 2026
I thank Stephen Kerr for his constructive and enthusiastic engagement following the amendments that he lodged during and before stage 2. We have met a couple times on this issue. We all share concern about ticket touting and its impact on fans, particularly its propensity to put the price of attending big sporting and other events beyond the reach of the ordinary citizen. We take the issue seriously.
As I set out when Mr Kerr lodged his amendment at stage 2, we are in regular discussion with the Governments of other host nations to ensure that we have a coherent approach to ticket touting. We understand that the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive have no plans to introduce primary legislation, while the Republic of Ireland has existing legislation that prohibits the practice. The UK Government has indicated that it is still working through how best to deliver the requirements of the Union of European Football Associations. I reiterate that it is not for Scottish ministers to report on the actions of other hosting Governments, and, as such, we cannot commit to providing a meaningful report to the Parliament within the timeline that Mr Kerr’s amendment sets.