Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On the issue raised by Deputy O'Dea, I understand a letter from Mr. Edward Parkinson of Viagogo containing a detailed legal opinion from a senior counsel was sent to me as Minister on 21 November. The legal opinion was sent to the legal advisers seconded to my Department from the Office of the Attorney General for their opinion on 28 November. This is normal practice when such legal opinions are submitted. The examination of the legal opinion is in progress and I expect I will be briefed by my officials once that process is complete.

On the matters raised by Deputy Quinlivan, all Members want the same result but we are trying to do it in a way that maximises the impact of the legislation. The Bill introduced by Deputy Quinlivan provides for a prohibition on the sale of tickets at a price of greater than 10% above face value for events for which more than 300 tickets have been offered for sale. The Government proposes to amend the Bill introduced by Deputies Rock and Donnelly to provide that the ban on above-face-value resale would apply to designated venues with a capacity of 1,000 or more. I consider that applying the legislation to known designated venues rather than on an event-by-event basis would facilitate more effective enforcement. It is often not known until the day of an event whether the attendance will exceed 300. I do not wish to cause damage to local clubs which are fundraising or holding charity events. We are trying to find a way for the legislation to be effective.

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