Speeches by Peacock.

“The schedule outlines the mandatory licence conditions that the regulator will attach to all licences as standard, regardless of the club’s circumstances. Those conditions are related to core areas of financial management, corporate governance, fan engagement, and reporting. They will form the foundations for the overa…”

“I beg to move amendment 64, in schedule 5, page 103, line 18, after “specified” insert “from time to time by the IFR”. This amendment clarifies that the IFR may specify certain elements of the mandatory licence conditions from time to time. The regulator will attach four mandatory licence conditions—the financial plan,…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup for his amendment 131. Football is a worldwide industry, and the activity of football agents continues to be a significant contributor to the financial pressures on English football, as well as internationally. We recognise that this is a key issue, which is frequently …”

“It is a pleasure once again to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Turner. I thank the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup for his amendment. He made some important points in his contribution, including his reference to the Kicks programme. He also pointed out an event in his area where he was able to see the Premier L…”

“Absolutely. I will repeat the wording I just used in the Committee: to be very clear, the regulator is not going to prescriptively micromanage each club’s board or set targets or quotas on EDI. We will have that in Hansard twice now, so the intention should be very clear. Therefore, I hope that the hon. Member will see…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for the amendments, but I disagree with the attempts to remove the references to EDI from the Bill. I will outline why and then, towards the end of my contribution, I will respond to his specific questions. The Government believe that equality, diversity and inclusion is a key part of good co…”

“I am saying that I am confident the legislation will provide the necessary protections to address fan concerns, but I also draw the Committee’s attention to the work of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the specific issue of assets of community value. Of course, that does not fall into my por…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for tabling the amendments. I know we have discussed this issue a number of times; it has always been a pleasure to do so, and I recognise its importance. Home grounds are often the most important asset that a club owns, so that is why I want to thank my hon. Friend for placing a real focus on th…”

“I am saying that the regulator may—I am not saying definitely will, because I do not want to get into hypotheticals of what it will do or not—appoint an interim officer to assist a club to operate effectively in the owner’s absence. To be clear, the club’s licence is separate from its owner, so the removal of the owner…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for moving the amendment and tabling amendment 8. To be the owner of a football club is to be the custodian of a treasured and historic community asset. That should be an honour, but it also comes with great responsibility. We recognise that in the past, however, it has typically been the actions…”

“I appreciate the shadow Minister’s comments. I will address them in detail when we come to the relevant debate. Question put and agreed to. Clause 20 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill. Schedule 5 Mandatory Licence Conditions”

“The clause requires the regulator to attach full mandatory licence conditions to the provisional and full operating licences for all licensed clubs. These are basic and fundamental requirements of the whole regime and so apply to all licensed clubs, regardless of their individual circumstances. The mandatory conditions…”

“Absolutely. We will come on to the owners and directors test later in the Bill Committee; perhaps we can explore this further at that point. The one point I would make to the shadow Minister and to my hon. Friend the Member for Derby South is that the aim of the regulator is always to minimise disruption to ongoing spo…”

“Clause 19 details revocation of a club’s provisional operating licence for failing to progress to a full licence, and a licence ceasing to have effect. For the revocation to occur, the regulator must satisfy itself of three things: first, that the test for a full operating licence is not met; secondly, that the club in…”

“As I said, clubs can make representations to the regulator and ask the regulator to look again, and beyond that there is the appeals process. As with all aspects of appeals process, the key considerations are the expertise of the judiciary, the tribunal’s experience and familiarity with the policy, speed and cost. We t…”

“As you say, Sir Jeremy, we will speak in detail about the revocation or suspension of an operating licence when we debate clause 19 stand part, so I will save my detailed remarks for then. To respond directly to the shadow Minister’s questions, there is an appeals process, and clubs can make representations; I will out…”

“I appreciate that point. We will come on to discuss that in relation to schedule 5, and I will give a fuller response then. Question put and agreed to. Schedule 4 accordingly agreed to. Clause 19 revocation and cessation of operating licence”

“With the indulgence of the Chair, I will speak to the hon. Gentleman after today’s sitting. I would like to write to those who took part in such a wonderful competition. I would like to complete my remarks by talking briefly about the threshold requirement, which has been designed to allow the regulator to recognise th…”

“It is important for sustainability that incumbent owners and officers continue to be suitable custodians of their clubs. That is why the Bill gives the regulator the power to test incumbents if it has grounds for concern about their suitability. That will help mitigate the risk of harm from individuals already in the s…”

“I think that it is an issue for the leagues, but I will happily write to the hon. Gentleman. I will check that point, but I am pretty confident that it would be left to the leagues. It is similar to what they deal with now. I will write to the hon. Members for Spelthorne and for Old Bexley and Sidcup further to their p…”