RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015 AND TICKET TOUTS

That this House is looking forward to England hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2015; recognises that tickets for these matches will be in high demand; is concerned that there is no legislative framework to protect these tickets from reaching the secondary market; is further concerned that this will make it possible for these tickets to be targeted by touts; notes that police intelligence indicates that many ticket touts are part of highly organised criminal gangs who have access to technology that guarantees they can purchase large numbers of tickets; is dismayed that this will leave genuine fans with no alternative other than to pay inflated prices if they wish to attend these matches; believes that tickets should only be offered for resale at the original price printed on the ticket; and calls on the Government to legislate to designate the Rugby Union World Cup as an event of national significance as was done for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games thereby making it illegal for anyone other than the Rugby World Cup through its England 2015 programme to offer tickets for sale at any time.