asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he proposes to take to help combat delin- quency amongst young people and violence at sporting events; and what consultations he has had recently to this end.

With my ministerial colleagues from other Departments, I met representatives of the football organisations and chief officers of police last December to discuss the control of crowds attending football matches; and I plan to hold a second such meeting soon to review developments. The Criminal Law Bill will substantially increase the maximum fines and amounts of compensation which offenders may be ordered by magistrates' courts to pay when convicted of the sort of offences associated with hooliganism and vandalism.