Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

Thank you. Deputy Naughten introduced a Bill on the issue previously which was accepted on Second Stage but voted down by the Government on Committee Stage. Deputy Rabbitte did the same on behalf of the Labour Party.

I was in Murrayfield, filling in for the Taoiseach, on Saturday. There was no evidence of ticket touts there because there was a problem filling the stadium which holds 67,000. If the GAA motions committee got its act together, this matter might be discussed. In respect of this clear problem, will the Taoiseach instruct the appropriate Minister, be it the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform or the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, to look again at the two Private Members' Bills that were introduced by Fine Gael and the Labour Party in previous years, and at the legislation that exists in the United Kingdom and France, which is strong and clear?

The problem is that when tickets are issued officially, some organisations or persons decide either to raffle them or let them out on the black market. The essence of the matter should be that no ticket should be resold beyond its retail value without the consent of the organisation. For example, clubs have raffled All-Ireland GAA tickets with the consent of the GAA to raise money for the clubs. This was a prolific practice in the run-in to last year's All-Ireland. The Taoiseach should look at the legislation that exists in other countries and advise the appropriate Minister to bring the matter before the House. There are many of these major sporting and musical occasions coming up and people will be ripped off by unscrupulous touts.

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