Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons he rejected the application by West Bromwich Albion Football Club to pilot a safe-standing scheme at The Hawthorns in the 2018-19 season; and if he will make a statement.

Spectator safety at sports grounds remains the priority for Government.

The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing and advising on safety at sports grounds.

The Government will continue to learn from the latest data, research, and advances in technology to improve the safety of spectators, but we have yet to see robust evidence of a safer approach to protecting spectators at football matches than the existing all-seater arrangements.