SPORTING LISTED EVENTS

That this House notes the Government's commitment to review in 2008 to 2009 the list of sporting events which must be offered at a fair and reasonable price to free-to-air broadcasters; further notes that this commitment was confirmed in 2006 in the wake of the sale of all live cricket rights to pay television; is concerned that the English Cricket Board is pre-empting this review by selling the rights for the period 2010 to 2013 including the 2013 Ashes series; is further concerned that from the 2008-09 season, all the coverage of the competitive qualifying matches of the national football teams of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will entirely disappear from free-to-air television; and calls on the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to initiate the review of sporting listed events forthwith, with particular consideration being given to placing on the A list live coverage of the Ashes cricket series, all qualifying matches for the World Cup and European Championships of the home nations (as in Ireland, France, Italy and Germany) and the final day of the Ryder Cup.